Indian Migrant Dies in Canada Amid Family Allegations of Wage Theft and Job Fraud

Simranjeet Singh, a 28-year-old former truck driver from the Tarn Taran district in Punjab, died following a train-related incident in the Greater Toronto Area on October 23. While some early reports suggested the incident occurred in Brampton, later accounts placed it near a railway station in Mississauga, with officials investigating the death as a suspected suicide.

Singh’s family alleges that his migration to Canada was marred by employment fraud. They claim the employer listed on his work permit was not actually operating and failed to meet him upon his arrival in British Columbia. To fund his move, the family reportedly borrowed more than Rs 25 lakh, a debt that became difficult to manage.

According to his relatives, Singh eventually found work in the trucking industry but was allegedly owed approximately CAD 15,000 in unpaid wages. They state that the transport company paid only a small fraction of that amount. Additionally, the family claims Singh was misled about his immigration status, discovering only after his death that a refugee protection claim had been rejected.

While the family attributes Singh's death to financial and emotional distress, these allegations have not been independently established. Friends and relatives in Canada have performed his last rites and are currently raising funds to support his parents back in India.