Kingpin behind fake Canadian offer letter racket held, gets 7-day remand

Widening the investigations following the arrest of Brijesh Mishra, the alleged mastermind of a large-scale fake offer letter scam that defrauded hundreds of students aspiring to study in Canada, who was produced in a court on Wednesday, was remanded to seven-day police custody.

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“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 Jalandhar Commissionerate Police has arrested Mishra. Mishra was taken into custody shortly after arriving in India on June 24.

According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Harinder Singh Gill, Mishra was apprehended at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and handed over to the Jalandhar police. An earlier-issued Look out Circular (LOC) in connection with multiple cases registered against him ensured he could not evade arrest.

ADCP Gill confirmed that during interrogation, Mishra confessed to having remained in the 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 on June 24.

Mishra is accused of orchestrating a fake offer letter racket through his consultancy firm, 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 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, at police division number 6. He was produced in 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 triggered 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 in both India and Canada at the time. Police officials have urged more victims to come forward and share information to strengthen the case.