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Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
28 years after sale, Punjab mother-son duo booked for ‘selling' WWII-era airstrip they never owned
A World War II-era airstrip in a Punjab village, used by the Indian Air Force, was sold in 1997. Over 28 years later, a probe has revealed that those who sold the land never actually owned it, and according to a report, the land was still in the possession of the Air Force. The airstrip was used during the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars.(PTI image for representation) The large-scale fraud expose' comes from Punjab's Ferozepur and stems from a complaint filed by a whistleblower years ago. The land, located in Punjab's Fattu Wala village, was the Air Force's historic Advance Landing Ground (ALG), and was used during the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars, according to news agency ANI. The land, which has remained in official IAF possession according to records dating back to 1958-59, was sold to private individuals in 1997 by mother-son duo Usha Ansal and Naveen Chand Ansal, who allegedly used forged documents for this sale. What probe revealed Retired Kanungo Nishan Singh had filed a complaint in the matter several years ago, but it was only in 2021 that authorities at Punjab's Halwara Air Force Station requested a formal investigation. The complainant later moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which ordered the registration of an FIR. Investigators uncovered that the land sale in 1997 was with the assistance of certain lower-level revenue officials. Names of Mukhtiar Singh, Jagir Singh, Surjit Kaur, Manjit Kaur, Dara Singh, Ramesh Kant and Rakesh Kant were included in the sale deal, but none of them were ever granted ownership rights. A preliminary report by the deputy commissioner claimed the land remained under IAF control, but Nishan Singh challenged the report's accuracy, accusing officials of deliberately omitting critical facts and colluding with private parties. Owner dead in 1991, sale in 1997 According to Nishan Singh, the complainant, the land was owned by one Madan Mohan Lal, who had moved to Delhi before 1947. Nishan Singh alleged that six years after the land's actual owner died in 1991, some fake documents were prepared and the land was sold in 1997. "Our revenue officers kept covering up this matter and kept taking huge bribes," alleged Nishan Singh. Following a renewed probe in May 2025, the disputed land was formally returned to the Ministry of Defence. A report, filed on June 20, 2025, said that the land was purchased by the British administration in 1945 for wartime purposes and has legally belonged to the IAF ever since. Usha and her son, who lived in Punjab's Dumani Wala village back then, currently reside in the national capital Delhi, and have been booked for fraudulently selling the land. (With ANI inputs)
India Gazette
03-07-2025
- India Gazette
Punjab: Woman, son booked for allegedly selling wartime airstrip using forged papers
Ferozepur (Punjab) [India], July 3 (ANI): In a startling case of land fraud reported from Punjab's Ferozepur by a whistleblower, a woman and her son allegedly sold off a World War II-era airstrip used by the Indian Air Force in 1997. The case pertains to the fraudulent sale of the land of the historic Advance Landing Ground (ALG) of the IAF in Fattu Wala village here. The airstrip, used during the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars, was allegedly sold by Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand Ansal of Dumani Wala village, currently residing in the national capital Delhi. The mother-son duo has been booked for fraudulently selling Indian Air Force land in Punjab's Fattu Wala village using forged documents, police said. The land, which had been historically used during major wars, was sold in 1997. A complaint was filed by the complainant Nishan Singh, who is a retired kanungo, years ago, but no action was taken. In 2021, the officials at Halwara Air Force Station in Punjab sought an inquiry from the Deputy Commissioner of Ferozepur, but still no solution was found. Following this, Nishan Singh filed an appeal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A case was finally registered against them at the Kulgarhi Police Station. Senior Superintendent of Police Bhupinder Singh said, 'This action has been taken on the basis of the complaint of retired Kanungo Nishan Singh that was investigated by Inspector Jagandeep Kaur (Vigilance Bureau).' The investigation revealed that the accused, in connivance with some low-level officials of the Revenue Department, sold the IAF land to private individuals in 1997 using forged documents. His lawyer said that the original owner of the land, Madan Mohan Lal, had died in 1991. The sale deal was finalised in 1997, in which the names of Mukhtiar Singh, Jagir Singh, Surjit Kaur, Manjit Kaur, Dara Singh, Ramesh Kant and Rakesh Kant were included. The most important thing was that the land was never transferred to them. Following a Court direction, the Deputy Commissioner had submitted a three-page report stating that the land was still in the possession of the IAF as per the revenue records of 1958-59. However, Nishan Singh was not satisfied with this report and filed another petition alleging that several important facts were deliberately hidden and the land was transferred to private individuals with the connivance of some officials. Following an investigation by the district administration in May 2025, the portion of land that was allegedly transferred to private individuals was handed back to the Ministry of Defence. 'It was found that the real owner had left for Delhi before 1947. The officers here prepared fake records and sold this land in 1997. Our revenue officers kept covering up this matter and kept taking huge bribes,' said Nishan Singh. He said the truth came to the fore when the High Court intervened and entrusted the probe to the Vigilance Director. The report filed on June 20 led to the registration of the case. It was found that the land belonged to the IAF and had been purchased by the British administration in 1945 for the Second World War. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Airstrip used in 3 wars sold fraudulently in Ferozepur, mother-son due booked
Ferozepur, An airstrip used by the Indian Air Force during the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars as an advanced landing ground at a village here close to the Pakistan border was allegedly sold by a woman and her son in collusion with some revenue officials in 1997. Airstrip used in 3 wars sold fraudulently in Ferozepur, mother-son due booked But after a retired revenue official filed a complaint that led to an inquiry, the land was given back to the defence ministry, officials said. On June 28, police registered a case against Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand Ansal, both residents of Dumni Wala village, under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code including 420 , 465 and 120-B at Kulgarhi police station. This piece of land was part of 982 acres of land earlier acquired by the British government in 1939 for the use of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Even the IAF used this air strip during 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars for emergency landings and defence purposes. Deputy Superintendent of Police Karan Sharma said that based on the complaint submitted to the Chief Director Vigilance Bureau by Nishan Singh, a retired revenue official, an inquiry was conducted and after the report was submitted, the FIR was registered against the accused. According to the inquiry report, the accused allegedly sold the air force land to private persons in collusion with some lower rung revenue officials. The matter was first raised by Nishan Singh. After the matter regarding fraudulent sale of chunk of land situated at Fattuwala village came to fore, the Commandant of the Air Force Station Halwara through Station Headquarters Ferozepur April 16, 2021 wrote to the then deputy commissioner Ferozepur to conduct an inquiry into this matter. Nishan Singh also filed a petition over inordinate delay in the inquiry, after which the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Ferozepur DC on December 21, 2023 to complete it in six months. Later, the DC Ferozepur submitted a three-page report which stated that the land was in the same condition as per the revenue record of 1958-59 and its possession was still with the IAF. However, not satisfied with the report, Nishan Singh, filed another petition in the high court alleging that several facts had been concealed in the report submitted to the state government, further accusing that the mutation of this land was executed in favour of private persons in 2001 in connivance with the revenue officials. In May, the part of the ALG land, which had been allegedly transferred to private persons, was restored to the Ministry of Defence following the inquiry conducted by the district administration. The land was earlier handed over to Madan Mohan Lal and his brother Tek Chand, who were appointed as the "Crop Manager" by the Union Government in 1964 under a scheme mooted by the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to utilise vacant lands belonging to defence for cultivation to enhance food grain production to tide over food crisis. However, subsequently after the demise of Madan, the land was allegedly sold off using his general power of attorney. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
India Today
01-07-2025
- India Today
IAF strip, used in 3 wars, 'sold off' by mother-son duo. FIR filed 28 years later
An airstrip, used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars, may have been erased from the history books if not for a complaint by a retired revenue official in Punjab. The airstrip was allegedly sold off by a woman and her son fraudulently to private individuals in 1997 in connivance with revenue 28 years later, an FIR has been registered against Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand after court intervention and a prolonged World War II-era airstrip in Fattuwala village of Ferozepur, which is near the Pakistan border, was used as an Advance Landing Ground (ALG) by the IAF. Senior police officer D Manjit Singh said the FIR has been registered at Kulgarhi police station under IPC sections 419 (impersonation), 420 (cheating), 465, 467 (forgery), 471 (use of forged documents), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy). The mother-son duo, residents of Demniwala village, are currently based in matter first came to light after a complaint was filed by a retired revenue officer, Nishan Singh, with the vigilance bureau. However, no serious action was taken against it for years even though a preliminary inquiry was April 16, 2021, the commandant of the Halwara Air Force Station formally lodged a complaint with the Ferozepur deputy commissioner, demanding a it took the local administration five years to conduct a comprehensive inquiry and verify the revenue over the delay, Nishan Singh moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. On December 21, 2023, the court directed the Ferozepur deputy commissioner to complete the probe within six response, the deputy commissioner submitted a three-page report, saying the land still remained in the possession of the IAF as per 1958-59 revenue Nishan Singh contested the report, alleging that key details were omitted and that the land mutation had been fraudulently transferred to private individuals in was only in May 2025 that, following an administrative review, the airstrip was restored to the Ministry of Defence."The land, historically significant for its military use, had been fraudulently sold, and the truth only emerged due to sustained pressure and legal action," Nishan Singh told investigation is still ongoing. Police said more arrests will follow.(With inputs from Akshay Kumar)- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Time of India
Mother of all land scams? Punjab mother-son duo allegedly sold off a whole defence airstrip
A land fraud case of staggering proportions has come to the fore in Punjab, where a mother-son duo has sold off not just any plot of land but an entire defence airstrip, the Times of India reported on July 1. Usha Ansal and Naveen Chand , the mother and son in question, have been accused of selling a World War II-era airstrip. This airstrip, located in Fattuwala village near the Pakistan border, was previously used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during multiple wars, including the 1962, 1965, and 1971 ones. As the investigation unfolds, the case raises grave concerns about how such significant land can be misappropriated and the implications it holds for national security. The repercussions of this alleged scam are likely to reverberate through various levels of government and military oversight. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bank-Seized Cars in the Philippines at Prices You Won't Believe! SUV Deals | Search Ads Search Now Undo Long legal war The allegations date back to 1997, when the two allegedly colluded with revenue officials to claim ownership and sell the land fraudulently. Following a directive from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has been tasked with investigating these serious allegations. The report, which has led to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR), was filed on June 20. Live Events The FIR cites multiple charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. The case first came to light through a complaint by Nishan Singh, a retired revenue official. Despite his efforts, the matter remained pending without any action until 2021, when the commandant of Halwara Air Force Station urged a probe into the sale of the land. Following lingering inaction, Nishan Singh sought the intervention of the High Court, leading to greater scrutiny of the situation. Major implications Justice Harjit Singh Brar of the High Court has been vocal about the implications of the case, pointing out the potential threat to national security. He called for the VB chief director to verify the allegations personally and to report back within four weeks. The court highlighted that the original owner of the land had passed away in 1991, yet fraudulent sale deeds surfaced in 1997, listing other individuals as owners, despite the military never transferring the land to them. In May 2025, after persistent legal efforts, the land was finally restored to the Ministry of Defence. The investigation, now led by DSP Karan Sharma, is now looking to uncover the full extent of the scam and identify all individuals involved in this long-concealed fraud concerning strategic defence land.
