Punjab police book Canadian couple in immigration scam

Punjab Police have booked an Indian-origin Canadian couple along with eight local people for running an illegal immigration racket from Punjab, police said Friday evening.

According to police, Anita Hans and her husband Rinku Hans, a Toronto-based couple, had duped many innocent Punjabi families of millions of rupees by luring them to send their kin abroad.

Police said the couple have a vast network with local travel agents and used to meet their clients by posing as brother and sister. After contacting these people, Anita would promise to marry the unmarried man of the family and sponsor him to migrate to Canada.

The family of one such victim Jagroop Singh, a resident of Bodde village near Moga town in Punjab, had spent millions while marrying his son Lakhvir Singh to Anita.

"We paid a huge bill for food and entertainment for 700 guests, and we also paid Rs.35 lakh to the couple to send Lakhvir abroad. However, when we approached the Canadian High Commission, they told us about the real identity of the couple," stated Jagroop.

Following this Jagroop filed a complaint with the Punjab Police.

"We have arrested the eight locals who ran this fraud business with the couple. We are investigating the matter and we have registered a case against the Canadian couple. We hope to arrest them very soon," said investigating officer Tehal Singh here Friday.