The cyber cell of the Punjab Police has registered a case against 35 social media accounts, including those of Punjabi and Canadian journalists and immigration consultants in both Canada and Punjab, for allegedly posting unverified content on social media platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook to target a Mohali-based immigration consultant who runs educational institutions and also has heavy stakes in real estate in Mohali and New Chandigarh.The case, dated 13-10-2026, has been registered under Section 356(2) of the BNS and Section 66 of the IT Act with the Cyber Crime police station, Sector 79, SAS Nagar.In the FIR, Paras Sharma (Advocate), care of GB Realty Group, office address Plot No. 19, 6th Floor, IT City Road, Sector 83, JLPL Industrial Area, SAS Nagar, Punjab, stated: “I am an authorised lawyer of GB Realty Group. This group is developing real estate projects in Punjab. My client is bringing Punjab’s first branded residences at Airport Road in Mohali and New Chandigarh by taking land from GMADA. A few days ago, some unknown persons spread false rumours about our company’s MD and the company on social media based on false facts to tarnish the image of our group, in which the name of our company has been linked to some fraud in Canada. This allegation is completely false and baseless. This content is being spread against us through posts, videos and comments on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms. The URL list of these accounts is as follows.”In the FIR, the complainant has shared links from which the unverified content was posted and has also demanded blocking and deletion of the content.The development has taken place as the Ontario government has referred the matter regarding student financial assistance at private career colleges to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) after a preliminary audit uncovered potential systematic irregularities in the funding program.Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn, without naming anyone, said, “The province launched targeted inspections in response to growing concerns over the usage of the Ontario Student Assistance Programme (OSAP). The government later commissioned auditing firm KPMG to conduct a broader review.”Preliminary findings identified issues including common ownership structures, links between private career colleges and immigration recruitment services, inadequate student verification processes, and unusually high concentrations of OSAP applications originating from the same geographic locations.Alongside the OPP referral, the province has notified the Auditor General. No charges have been announced to date.According to previously reported figures, seven career colleges received about USD 385 million in OSAP grants during the 2024-25 academic year.