Though, the good news is Canada will treat these students as victims and not culprits

One common link to the majority of the 700 Indian students from Punjab who are facing deportation charges in Canada, Brijesh Mishra is on the run. Mishra has now been traced to the United States. This has been confirmed by Commissioner of Police (CP) Jalandhar Kuldeep Singh Chahal. According to Chahal, accused Mishra has already been booked in some of these cases under Section 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 465 (making forged documents), 467 (forgery), 471) using forged as a genuine document) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

At long last some good news for the students

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Though the good news is that in Canada, the committee of the House of Commons has passed a motion saying that the students facing deportation be treated as victims – the focus should be to penalise the culprit and not the students.

Back home, Punjab NRI affairs minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal has said that the state government will provide free legal assistance to these students if the need arises.

Returning to the common link that is between these about 700 students and the fake offer letters they received from Canadian colleges, Brijesh Mishra sent a majority of them to Canada on fake offer letters allegedly to some of the better known colleges and universities in Canada. The offer letter looked so authentic that the embassy officials did not find anything amiss in them. However, once these students landed in Canada, they realised that they had not been registered in the respective colleges they were sent to. Mishra then told them that they should enroll in a different college.

Mishra’s bluff was caught

It was only in 2023, when the students who flew to Canada had to apply for permanent residency that Mishra’s bluff was caught. And slowly, skeletons started tumbling out of the closet. Not in single or double digit figures but a total of about 700 students had been sent to Canada on fake offer letters.

A detailed investigation by Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) was carried out and Brijesh Mishra’s firm – Education and Migration Services was found to be the common link between most of these students.  Meanwhile, Punjab NRI Affairs minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the Punjab government has taken up the case with the Ministry of External Affairs and also written to their Canadian counterparts to take up the issue with the Canadian government.

What the victims have to say?

Jugraj Singh from Zira in Ferozepur is one of the victims of Mishra. Jugraj had applied through Mishra for his son’s higher studies in Canada. “In the nick of time, I was told by my well-wishers that Mishra is a fraud. And I immediately withdrew my son’s file. I had filed a case against him but nothing happened. Now my son is in England and happy. I am relieved that we did not fall for Mishra’s go-to-Canada dream.”

Gurdev Singh, who also hails from Ferozepur told The Statesman, “My son is in London town of Canada. “By God’s grace he is well settled. Though, Mishra also cheated us and send my son Amritpal to Canada on fake documents, we somehow proved to be lucky. We are really thankful to the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau that these kids will be taken care of.”