Peel police have charged three more people in an alleged immigration scam, targeting victims from the Middle East who wish to bring loved ones to Canada.

Eight victims from the Peel region lost about $780,000, Peel police said Friday.

The investigation started in July, when a victim told police they paid large amounts of money to an organization called Afghan Refugee Relief, or AAR, to help sponsor family members wanting to immigrate to Canada.

Police allege the head of the organization, 61-year-old Sakia Mojadiddi of Mississauga, didn’t process the paperwork or return the customer’s money. She wasn’t authorized to file it, investigators said in October.

Mojadiddi was arrested on fraud charges in August. After investigators released information about the case in October, 38 people came forward, said Peel police.

The victims came from the Middle East, Europe and North America.

On Thursday, police executed search warrants at three homes — two in the Peel region and one in Bradford, Ont., northwest of Newmarket.

Officers also charged three more women on fraud-related charges: 32-year-old Morassa Rizvi of Brampton, 26-year-old Dunya Mojadiddi of Mississauga and Mariam Qureshi, a 36-year-old from Bradford.

All have been released on bail and will appear in court in Brampton on March 12.

Read more about: