Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): A cybercrime case registered in Punjab has brought 35 social media accounts linked to India and Canada under scrutiny over online content allegedly targeting Mohali-based GB Realty Group. The accounts reportedly include those associated with Punjabi and Canadian journalists and immigration consultants, according to a report by The Tribune published on October 16.
The complaint alleges that posts, videos and comments circulated online spread false or misleading claims about the real estate group and its managing director. Some of the content reportedly linked the company to alleged fraud in Canada. These are allegations made by the complainant and have not been established as facts through the registration of the FIR.
The case has also drawn attention to the questions surrounding online criticism, reputational harm and the boundaries between public-interest reporting and potentially defamatory material.
FIR Registered In Mohali On October 13
According to the report, FIR No. 29 was registered on October 13, 2026, at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Sector 79, SAS Nagar, Mohali.
Advocate Paras Sharma, representing GB Realty Group, reportedly filed the complaint. The company operates in Punjab’s real estate sector, with projects in Mohali and New Chandigarh, and is also associated with educational institutions.
The complainant alleged that a series of social media posts and videos circulated rumours about the company’s management and business activities. He described the material as false and baseless and reportedly provided the police with URLs of the content in question.
The complaint also sought action to remove or block the identified posts and accounts.
The FIR reportedly invokes Section 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act. The precise statutory provisions and their applicability should be confirmed against the FIR and relevant legal records.
Why Is Canada Mentioned In The Case?
The controversy also intersects with scrutiny of student financial assistance provided to private career colleges in Ontario, Canada.
As reported by The Tribune, the Ontario government referred a matter concerning the funding programme to the Ontario Provincial Police after a preliminary audit flagged potential irregularities. The review reportedly examined issues including common ownership structures, connections between private career colleges and immigration recruitment services, student verification and concentrations of applications from particular regions.
The report stated that seven career colleges received approximately US$385 million in student assistance grants during the 2024-25 academic year.
The existence of this review does not establish that GB Realty Group or any individual named in the Punjab case committed wrongdoing. The Ontario funding review and the allegations contained in the Punjab complaint are separate matters, and any connection between them must be supported by evidence.
Journalists Among Those Named Raise Questions About Press Freedom
The reported inclusion of accounts associated with journalists has added another dimension to the case. It places the investigation at the intersection of online accountability, defamation complaints and the ability of journalists to scrutinise companies or matters of public interest.
At the same time, online claims that damage a person’s or company’s reputation may raise legal questions depending on their content, factual basis, context and the applicable law. Determining whether any particular post crosses that line requires examination of the material and the surrounding circumstances.
The registration of an FIR does not establish the guilt of the account holders or confirm the allegations made in the complaint. Those named are entitled to due process, and the allegations must be assessed through the investigation and any subsequent legal proceedings.
Further details about the police investigation, the responses of the account holders and any action taken on the request to remove online content were not established in the cited report.
The case is therefore likely to remain under scrutiny as more information emerges about the specific posts, the evidence submitted to the police and the investigation’s findings.
