Fraud has surfaced in the disbursement of compensation for land acquired for the Mohali international airport in Jheourheri village of Mohali.

For over 306 acres of land acquired for the project, the state government had in March accorded a record compensation of Rs 1.5 crore per acre. Accordingly, Mohali Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Raghbeer Kaur Khaira, who was also the Land Acquisition Collector (LAC), in April disbursed Rs 460.82 crore to 222 landowners from 176 families.

From the total acquired land, less than two kanals belonged to one Bachni Devi, who was reported missing since almost a decade ago when she was in her mid-50s.

Bachni Devi’s daughter Gurdial Kaur of Chehla village in Fatehgarh Sahib, who claimed to be the legal heir of her mother, claimed the acquired land compensation amount from the SDM-cum-LAC, but despite repeated rounds to the SDM office, she failed to get the money.

Subsequently, she lodged a formal complaint with the SDM-cum-LAC, who, upon inquiry, found that the compensation cheque amounting to Rs 33.75 lakh in the name of Bachni Devi had already been released and the cheque had been realised from the concerned branch.

Bachni Devi’s daughter, however, claimed that she had neither got the compensation cheque nor realised the cheque from any bank.

Upon this, the SDM-cum-LAC further inquired the matter, after which it came to the fore that another woman, Mohindro of Jheourheri village, in connivance with her brother Joginder Singh and Joginder’s son Chand Pal, had procured Bachni’s cheque from the SDM-cum-LAC office by posing as Bachni Devi.

The probe further revealed that later the imposter and her accomplices opened a bank account in the name of Bachni Devi and drew the money through that bank account.

Sensing trouble upon coming to know about detection of the fraud, however, the accused deposited the money back to the account, said investigation officer, Assitant Sub-Inspector Nikka Ram.

The SDM-cum-LAC forwarded the inquiry report to Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jatinder Singh Aulakh, who then ordered the registration of an FIR.

Accordingly, a case on charges of forgery, fraud and criminal conspiracy was lodged against Mohindro, Joginder Singh and Chand Pal late on Thursday.

No arrests have, however, been made yet, confirmed ASI Nikka Ram.