05/05/2026
Rourkela, May 1:
In a major judgment delivered on April 30, 2026, the Court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), Rourkela, sentenced a former Deepika English Medium School (DEMS) teacher Sindhu A.S., her husband, and their associate to 7 years of rigorous imprisonment in a ₹2.83 crore land fraud case that had shocked the city.
Presiding over the case, ACJM Geetanjali Nanda held the three accused guilty of committing a serious economic offence affecting society at large.
The convicted persons are:
A.S. Sindhu (50) – Former DEMS teacher
Md. Qumar Khan (55) – Her husband
Pradipta Kumar Pattnayak (52) – Associate
As per the official judgment,
7 years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) under Section 420 IPC (cheating)
Fine of ₹5,000 each, failing which 6 months additional RI
2 years RI under Section 506 IPC (criminal intimidation)
Fine of ₹5,000 each, failing which 3 months additional RI
The court ordered that all sentences will run concurrently, and denied the benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act, citing the seriousness of the offence.
The judgment clearly observed that the accused had committed an economic offence involving a colossal amount of ₹2.83 crore, impacting society at large, and therefore deserved exemplary punishment.
How the Fraud Was Executed
The case originated in 2022, when complainant Biswabhushan Nanda, a young social worker and builder, came in contact with Sindhu during a school event.
Sindhu built trust by tying rakhi and making him her “religious brother”
Later, she, along with her husband and associate, lured him with promises of land purchase in Kerala. He was even taken to Kerala and shown land to make the deal appear genuine. Trusting them, Nanda transferred ₹2.83 crore within a month in multiple installments.
Investigation revealed a planned financial conspiracy:
• ₹92 lakh kept in Sindhu’s account
• ₹1.59 crore transferred to her husband
• ₹32 lakh routed to associate Pattnayak
To avoid detection, funds were later diverted into 14 different bank accounts, and a fake story of money loss via an app was created to mislead investigators.
After the fraud came to light:
Sindhu issued 6 cheques worth ₹2.68 crore, which later bounced. She filed a false harassment case against the complainant. Also attempted to portray herself as a victim by filing a cyber complaint.
The victim lodged an FIR at Jhirpani Police Station on December 6, 2024. Though initial action was slow, the case gained momentum after intervention by SP Rourkela, Nitesh Wadhwani, who played a key and decisive role in ensuring proper investigation. Under his supervision, the police intensified efforts, leading to the arrest of all three accused within about five months, followed by successful prosecution.
The case on behalf of the informant was conducted by lawyers Akshaya Sahu, Prashant Senapati
Prosecution: Public Prosecutor Prashant Kumar Maharana, Uddhav Prasad Singh
The court emphasized that such planned financial frauds exploiting personal trust cannot be taken lightly and must be dealt with strictly to deter similar crimes.
The case has sparked widespread concern in Rourkela, especially as it involved a school teacher misusing trust and relationships for financial gain. The verdict is being seen as a landmark decision reinforcing accountability and justice in economic offences.
Rourkela TIPS
