Investigation into commercial driving school operators leads to fraud charges

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The Ontario Provincial Police, in conjunction with the Sûreté du Québec, have laid fraud charges against several individuals following a two-year investigation into commercial driving school operators.

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In March 2019, the Sûreté du Québec reported suspicions of commercial vehicle registration fraud to the Ontario Provincial Police, which resulted in a criminal investigation.

The investigation allegedly revealed fraudulent licensing activities that circumvented Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Colleges and Universities processes.

The Ontario Provincial Police investigation reportedly found the scheme had a significant impact on the safety of Canadian highways by using an interpreter to fraudulently pass knowledge tests required for licensing, allowing residents of the outside of Ontario applying for an Ontario driver’s license and bypassing the mandatory entry-level training standard.

Police uncovered 200 cases in which students allegedly committed fraud to obtain a commercial vehicle license.

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Another scheme that was uncovered involved individuals operating unaccredited schools and providing unauthorized training to students in Ontario and Quebec.

Gurvinder Singh, 55, from Laval, Que., Gurpreeet Singh, 33, from Saint Eustache, Que., Mohammad Khokhar, 66, from Cornwall, Ont., Jagjeet Deol, 50, from Caledon, Ont., Charanjit Kaur Deol, 50, of Caledon, Ont., and Hanifa Khokhar, 68, of Cornwall, Ont., have all been charged with fraud over $5,000.

“The focus of this lengthy investigation has been public safety,” Det. Insp. Daniel Nadeau, of the OPP’s Criminal Investigations Branch. “Semi-trailers and other utility vehicles can be deadly in the hands of those with little or no training.”