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Time of India
07-07-2025
- Time of India
How an IAF air strip, used in 3 wars, was secretly ‘sold off' using fake papers
How an IAF air strip, used in 3 wars, was secretly 'sold off' using fake papers Team TOI Plus Updated: Jul 7, 2025, 16:28 IST IST On India Uncovered three-in-one pack: a mother-son duo in the dock for selling off a World-War II-era IAF airstrip 28 years ago; Supreme Court slams jail officials for keeping man behind bars over minor typo in bail order; and the Patna University principals that were selected not because they deserved it but because they just got lucky There's crookery. Then there's crookery with ambition. What would have been a flight of fancy for most practitioners of this art was clandestinely turned into reality by a mother-son duo in Punjab's Ferozepur sometime in 1997. A World War-II era airstrip, used by Indian Air Force during the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars as an advanced landing ground, was allegedly sold off by a mother and son in 1997 in connivance with some revenue officials. Now, 28 years later, accused Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand have been named in an FIR.
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.
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Business Standard
01-07-2025
- 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.
