Jalandhar police arrest mastermind behind fake offer letter scam on his return from Canada

The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police have arrested Brijesh Mishra, the kingpin behind the fake offer letter scam that defrauded hundreds of Indian students aspiring to study in Canada.

Mishra was taken into custody shortly after arriving in India on June 24.

According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Harinder Gill, Mishra was apprehended at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and handed over to the Jalandhar Police. The LOC, which had been issued earlier in connection with multiple cases registered against him, prevented him from slipping away.

Gill said that during interrogation, Mishra confessed to have remained in Canadian police custody for nearly one and a half years. After serving his sentence related to immigration fraud and misrepresentation, he stayed for a few months in Surrey, British Columbia, before returning to India.

Mishra is accused of running a fake offer letter racket through his consultancy, Education and Migration Services, based in Jalandhar. Between 2016 and 2020, he allegedly duped over 200 students by issuing forged admission letters to Canadian colleges. Many of the victims discovered the fraud only after reaching Canada, where they were denied entry or deported when immigration authorities flagged their documents as fake.

Nine FIRs have been registered against him for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. He was produced in a court on Wednesday and has been remanded to seven days of police custody.

“He has admitted his role and also revealed that he had been jailed in Canada. We are questioning him further, and more arrests are expected,” said ADCP Gill.

The scam had created a major uproar in 2023 when several Indian students, some already studying or working in Canada, were suddenly informed that their initial college admission letters were fraudulent. Several protests were held both in India and Canada then.

Police officials have urged more victims to come forward and share information to strengthen the case.