Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) says it has arrested a suspect accused of defrauding an Islamabad student's family of about Rs9.3 million by promising US university admission and a scholarship backed by fabricated documents. The agency's director-general confirmed the arrest of the accused, Muhammad Noman, on 11 October, Pakistan Today reported.

The case drew national attention after the death on 9 October of the student, a 22-year-old gold medallist from the International Islamic University Islamabad. Police were investigating the death as a suspected suicide. The FIA has linked her death to the financial fraud and the distress that followed.

What investigators allege

According to the FIA case as reported by Pakistan Today, the family was given forged scholarship award letters, university offer letters and fee payment receipts. Of the total amount, about Rs2.9 million was allegedly transferred through the student's bank account and the rest was paid in cash. An FIA director told The News that the student had planned to announce admission to Harvard University and that a university registration certificate she had checked shortly before her death proved to be fake. Earlier reports gave lower figures for the amount lost; this report uses the figure in the FIA case.

The FIA registered a case under the Pakistan Penal Code against Noman and a second named person. The FIA has said the role of others will be determined during the inquiry. Police sources told The News that the main suspect had previously posed as a government official. None of the accused has been convicted.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the death extremely tragic and ordered the suspect's arrest, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi described the matter as a test case.

Verifying an offer before paying

Genuine admission decisions from US universities come from the institution itself, usually through its own applicant portal, and a student who will hold an F-1 visa receives a Form I-20 issued by the school. Families can confirm an offer or scholarship by contacting the university's admissions or financial aid office using details from the university's official website, not those supplied by an agent. Scholarships from reputable universities do not require large upfront cash payments to intermediaries.

Sources

This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.

PakistanFIAStudy Abroad FraudFake Admission LettersUnited States

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