Latest news with #UshaAnsal
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- 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.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business Standard
Stolen airstrip returned to IAF after being secretly sold off 28 years ago
Twenty-eight years after a World War II-era airstrip was allegedly stolen and sold, a mother-son duo in Punjab have been named in a first information report (FIR), The Times of India has reported. The case, registered in Firozpur district, pertains to an airstrip located in Fattuwala village that was used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars. The airstrip, which served as an advanced landing ground, was allegedly misappropriated in 1997 by Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chanda, in collusion with certain revenue officials. According to the report, the duo illegally took possession of the land and subsequently sold it, prompting fresh legal action decades later. The Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the chief director of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) to investigate the allegations levelled against the duo. The order was issued after a report was filed on June 20, following which an FIR was registered. The case has been registered under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC): Section 419 (cheating by impersonation) 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) 465 (forgery) 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc) 471 (using a forged document or electronic record as genuine) 120B (criminal conspiracy). DSP Karan Sharma has been handed over the charge to lead the investigation in this case to identify all those involved in the long-concealed scam. In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence reclaimed the land after a directive from the High Court. According to the Vigilance Bureau report, the airstrip, originally acquired by the British administration in March 1945 for World War II operations, belongs to the IAF. It also verified that the strip has been with the IAF, which was used during the wars of 1962, 1965, and 1971. Usha and Naveen, residents of Dumni Wala village, allegedly fabricated revenue records to falsely claim ownership of the land, which they then sold in collusion with some officers. The incident came to light after a whistleblower, named Nishan Singh, who worked as a former revenue official, filed a complaint. Despite years of inaction, the case made some headway in 2021, after the commandant of Halwara Air Force Station wrote to Firozpur's deputy commissioner, seeking a probe. With no action being taken for years, the whistleblower reached the High Court and filed a petition, seeking a probe into this matter. Singh's counsel argued that the original owner, Madan Mohan Lal, passed away in 1991; yet, the sale deeds were executed six years later in 1997. These documents listed Surjit Kaur, Manjit Kaur, Mukhtiar Singh, Jagir Singh, Dara Singh, Rakesh Kant, and Ramesh Kant as the recorded owners in the 2009–10 Jamabandi. The High Court pulled up Firozpur's deputy commissioner for inaction in the matter, citing concerns of national security.
News18
2 days ago
- News18
The Great Ferozepur Airstrip Heist: How A Mother-Son Duo 'Stole' War Land
Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand allegedly used forged documents in 1997 to illegally transfer ownership of the wartime airstrip, just kilometres from the India-Pakistan border For decades, villagers near Fattuwala in Punjab barely gave the old stretch of tarmac a second glance. Once a buzzing Indian Air Force (IAF) airstrip that roared with fighter planes during the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars, it had quietly faded into local memory—until it mysteriously reappeared on paper, not as military land, but as someone's private property. In a case that reads like a land heist thriller, a woman and her son are now at the center of a scandal involving the fraudulent sale of a 15-acre strategic IAF airstrip. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered a high-level investigation by the state Vigilance Bureau after evidence surfaced showing that Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand allegedly used forged documents in 1997 to illegally transfer ownership of the wartime airstrip, just kilometres from the India-Pakistan border. Moneycontrol reported that the land was part of the historic Jahaz Ground, a 982-acre area acquired during British rule for use in World War II and later used by the IAF in multiple conflicts. The forged ownership documents surfaced six years after the death of the original landholder, Madan Mohan Lal, making the 1997 sale impossible under law. According to the Times of India, even more alarming was the fact that despite the land's clear military relevance, local revenue officials allegedly validated the illegal transaction by mutating the ownership records in 2001. It wasn't until 2021—nearly 25 years later—that the IAF raised a formal red flag, triggering a court battle that's now blown the lid off what's being described as a massive land scam with national security implications. 'An Act of Betrayal' The court has now ordered the Chief Director of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau to personally supervise the probe and submit findings within four weeks. The Ferozepur Police has also filed an FIR against the mother-son duo under IPC sections related to fraud, forgery, and criminal conspiracy (The Tribune, June 2024). According to The Times of India, the Jahaz Ground was a vital military infrastructure hub. After serving in three major wars, its significance remained—until it mysteriously vanished from official records and resurfaced in private hands. What followed was a paper trail of forged Power of Attorney documents, dubious revenue entries, and years of administrative inaction. With the land now restored to the Ministry of Defence, the incident raises critical questions about how strategic defence assets can be siphoned off through bureaucratic collusion. It also highlights the vulnerability of legacy military properties, particularly in border states like Punjab. First Published: July 01, 2025, 15:01 IST
India Today
2 days ago
- 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
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Mother-Son Duo Sold IAF Airstrip Used In 3 Wars In 1997. FIR Registered In 2025
Last Updated: A probe found that Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand faked ownership of the IAF land, sold it in 1997 using forged records—years after real owner Madan Mohan Lal had died in 1991 In a scam reminiscent of Natwarlal—India's most infamous conman who once claimed to have sold the Taj Mahal—a woman from Ferozepur, Punjab, stands accused of an audacious fraud involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) airstrip. Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand allegedly 'sold' the military airstrip, which played a crucial role in three major wars, back in 1997 with the help of local revenue officials. This airstrip, situated in Patti Fattuwala village near the Pakistan border, was acquired by the British administration on March 12, 1945 and played a significant role during the Indo-Pakistani wars of 1962, 1965, and 1971. According to a Times of India report, an investigation by the Vigilance Department, prompted by a reprimand from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, led to an FIR being registered against the duo on June 20, 2025, 28 years after the fraud. The charges include sections 419 (fraudulently impersonating), 420 (cheating), 465, 467 (forgery of valuable documents), 471 (use of forged documents), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. DSP Karan Sharma is spearheading the investigation to uncover those involved in the long-term suppression of this fraudulent land transaction. How Was The Fraud Committed? The Vigilance Department's investigation revealed that Usha and Naveen, residents of Dumni Wala village, falsely presented themselves as the landowners and sold the property by manipulating revenue records. The true owner, Madan Mohan Lal, had died in 1991, but the land was sold under his name in 1997. By the Jamabandi of 2009-10, individuals named Surjit Kaur, Manjit Kaur, Mukhtiar Singh, Jagir Singh, Dara Singh, Ramesh Kant, and Rakesh Kant were listed as owners, despite the Ministry of Defence never transferring the land. The scam came to light in 2021 when retired revenue officer Nishan Singh lodged a complaint but nothing happened in two years. Despite a letter from the Commandant of Halwara Air Force Station to the then DC demanding an inquiry, no action was taken until Singh approached the High Court. Justice Harjit Singh Brar criticised the Deputy Commissioner of Ferozepur's inaction, labelling it a serious threat to national security, and directed the chief of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau to personally investigate and report within four weeks. According to the Times of India report, the land was finally restored to the Ministry of Defence in May 2025, following intervention by the High Court. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
