Mohali: Punjab Police have registered a case against 35 social media accounts for allegedly defaming a Mohali-based immigration consultant and an associated business group. The accounts reportedly include those linked to Punjabi journalists and immigration consultants in Punjab and Canada.
The complaint alleges that unverified content was circulated on social media platforms, linking the company to an alleged fraud case in Canada. The business group, GB Realty Group, operates educational institutions and has real estate interests in Mohali and New Chandigarh.
FIR No. 29 was registered on October 13 at the Cyber Crime police station in Sector 79, SAS Nagar, under Section 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act.
According to the complaint filed by advocate Paras Sharma on behalf of GB Realty Group, unidentified individuals allegedly spread false rumours about the company and its managing director through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms. The complainant maintained that the allegations linking the group to an alleged Canadian fraud case were baseless.
The complaint included links to the accounts and posts allegedly involved in circulating the content. The company also sought the removal of the material and the blocking of the accounts. The allegations in the FIR have not been independently verified.
Ontario investigation into student financial aid
The case comes amid a separate investigation in Canada’s Ontario province into suspected irregularities involving financial assistance provided to students at private career colleges.
The provincial government referred the matter to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) after preliminary audits raised concerns. KPMG was appointed to conduct a detailed review of the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), according to Ontario Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn.
Initial findings reportedly flagged concerns over shared ownership among some private career colleges, links between colleges and immigration recruitment services, weaknesses in student verification procedures and unusually high numbers of OSAP applications from certain regions. The provincial government has also informed the Auditor General.
Seven career colleges reportedly received approximately C$385 million in OSAP grant funding during the 2024-25 academic year.
However, no direct link has been established between the Ontario investigation and the FIR registered in Mohali.
