Amritsar: An FIR has been registered against a woman and her son by the Punjab Police, 28 years after they ‘sold’ off an airstrip used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the 1962, 1965 and 1971 Wars.
The World War II-era airstrip in Fattuwala village of Ferozepur, Punjab, near the border with Pakistan, was used as an Advance Landing Ground (ALG) by the IAF. In 1997, Usha Ansal and her son Naveen Chand connived with corrupt revenue department officials and sold it to private individuals.
The matter first came to light after a complaint was lodged with the vigilance bureau by one Nishan Singh, a retired revenue officer. Initially, nobody took the matter seriously though a preliminary inquiry was conducted.
On April 16, 2021, the air officer commanding of the Halwara Air Force Station formally lodged a complaint with the Ferozepur deputy commissioner, demanding a probe. It took the local administration five years to conduct a comprehensive inquiry and verify the revenue records.
Frustrated by 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 months. In response, the deputy commissioner submitted a three-page report, stating that the land still remains in the possession of the IAF as per 1958-59 revenue records.
Nishan Singh contested the report though, alleging that key details were omitted and that the land had been fraudulently transferred to private individuals in 2001.
It was only in May 2025 that, following an administrative review, the airstrip was restored to the Ministry of Defence.
Police officer D Manjit Singh told India Today that an 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, originally from the Demniwala village, are currently based in Delhi. The investigation is still underway and the police said that more arrests will follow.
“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 reporters.
