Mastermind of fake offer letter scam held in Canada, 700 stare at deportation

Tribune News Service

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, June 24

Immigration agent Brijesh Mishra, who is accused of cheating students of lakhs of rupees by issuing fake college admission letters to procure Canadian study visas, has been arrested. He is now facing criminal charges in Canada.

A majority of nearly 700 students from Punjab and other states, who have been facing deportation from Canada, had filed visa applications from 2018 onwards till 2022 through Jalandhar-based Education Migration Services headed by Mishra.

They had gone to Canada on study visa, but the fraud came to light after they applied for permanent residency (PR) recently, jeopardising their future. Mishra had been absconding since then. On Friday, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) charged Mishra with providing immigration services without a licence and counselling many to deceive or withhold information from the authorities. Charges have also been filed against him for his alleged involvement in issuing fraudulent letters of acceptance to aspiring students seeking admission to Canadian institutions.

He was previously arrested in 2013 for forging documents to send students abroad through Easy Way Immigration agency. Meanwhile, students from Punjab facing deportation and their parents back home have welcomed the development. The Jalandhar police have already filed an FIR against Mishra and his partner Rahul Bhargava under Sections 406, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code. Bhargava was arrested on March 28.

The affected students alleged they were deceived by Mishra and several other agents. Inderjit Aulakh, a student, said, “We hope the authorities will now be able to bust the entire racket and spare the students who are not at fault.”

(With agency inputs)

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