FEROZEPUR: In a case of audacious land fraud with serious national security implications, a World War II-era airstrip used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars was allegedly sold off using forged documents by a mother-son duo in Ferozepur, Punjab, in 1997.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has now filed an FIR against the accused—Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand—following a damning report submitted to the Punjab and Haryana high court. The report, filed on June 20, was part of a court-ordered probe into the alleged illegal sale of the strategic defence land located in Fattuwala village, near the Pakistan border.
The FIR names Usha and Naveen, residents of Dumni Wala village, and invokes IPC Sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 471 (using forged document as genuine), and 120B (criminal conspiracy). DSP Karan Sharma has been assigned to lead the investigation to uncover the full extent of the scam and identify all those involved.
The airstrip in question was originally acquired on March 12, 1945, by the British administration for use during World War II. It has remained in IAF possession ever since and served as an advanced landing ground during three major wars. Yet, in 1997, Usha and Naveen allegedly forged revenue records and—along with the help of complicit revenue officials—claimed the land as their own and executed sale deeds.
The scam remained hidden for decades, despite early warnings. The original complaint was filed by whistleblower Nishan Singh, a retired revenue official. However, no action was taken for years. In 2021, the commandant of Halwara Air Force Station wrote to the Ferozepur deputy commissioner demanding a formal probe. That request, too, went unheeded.
It was only after Nishan Singh moved the Punjab and Haryana high court that the matter finally gained traction. His petition stated that the original landowner, Madan Mohal Lal, had passed away in 1991—six years before the alleged sale deeds were created. Yet, by 2009-10, names such as Surjit Kaur, Manjit Kaur, Mukhtiar Singh, Jagir Singh, Dara Singh, Ramesh Kant, and Rakesh Kant had appeared in the Jamabandi (land records) as owners, despite no official transfer from the defence ministry.
Justice Harjit Singh Brar, presiding over the case, reprimanded the Ferozepur deputy commissioner for the prolonged inaction and highlighted the severe risk posed to national security by the illegal transfer of defence land. He directed the chief director of Punjab Vigilance Bureau to personally examine the allegations and take necessary action within four weeks.
The VB probe concluded that the land indeed belonged to the IAF and that the transfer was fraudulent. It was only in May 2025—28 years after the initial sale—that the land was officially restored to the Ministry of Defence, following the court’s intervention.
The case is now being described as one of the most brazen examples of land fraud involving defence property in recent memory. Investigators believe more officials may be implicated in the conspiracy, and further arrests are likely as the inquiry progresses.
