Punjab Police Charge Mother and Son for Fraudulent Sale of IAF Airstrip Using Forged Documents

In a remarkable fraud case involving national defense property, Punjab Police have charged a mother and son with allegedly selling an Indian Air Force (IAF) airstrip near the Pakistan border using counterfeit ownership documents. The airstrip, situated in Fattuwala village in Ferozepur district, served as a critical asset for the IAF during the wars of 1962, 1965, and 1971.

The accused, identified as Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand Ansal from Delhi, are alleged to have collaborated with revenue officials to produce fake ownership documents, subsequently selling the land to private buyers in 1997. This fraud remained concealed until Nishan Singh, a retired revenue officer, exposed it.

Singh had lodged multiple complaints over the years, which were reportedly ignored by the authorities. In 2021, after continued inaction even after a formal complaint from the IAF’s Halwara Air Force Station, Singh took the matter to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, prompting intervention from the judiciary and subsequent action.

Singh disclosed that the land originally belonged to Madan Mohan Lal, who relocated to Delhi before India’s independence. Following Lal's death in 1991, local officials allegedly falsified land records and enabled the sale to private entities. Singh accused revenue officers of persistently concealing the fraud in return for bribes.

A report from the deputy commissioner indicated that revenue records from 1958-59 clearly documented the land as being under the possession of the Indian Air Force. A formal case has now been filed against the mother and son at the Kulgarhi Police Station.

In May 2025, the land was officially returned to the Ministry of Defence. An investigation is currently underway to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy and identify all parties involved in the decades-long cover-up.