Police have arrested the main suspect accused of defrauding a young woman, who was found dead in the capital on Friday, of Rs7.2 million through a fake US scholarship offer, it was confirmed on Saturday. The deceased, Laiba, had graduated with distinction in her Bachelor of Science degree and aspired to pursue a doctorate in the US.
According to her maternal uncle, Rana Amjad, the victim dreamed of becoming a scientist and had responded to an advertisement. There, she met an agent named Nauman, who assured her he could arrange admission to an American university under a scholarship covering 80 percent of her total expenses, leaving her family responsible for the remaining 20 percent.
Trusting the agent's guarantees, the young woman submitted her academic credentials. Shortly afterward, Nauman contacted her via telephone to inform her that her scholarship had been approved.
The agent then began demanding payments, initially securing Rs1.3 million from the victim. A few days later, Nauman demanded an additional Rs4 million.
To meet the financial burden, the family was forced to sell their jewelry and a plot of land before transferring the funds through a bank account. Suspicions arose when the agent issued a statement claiming a total of Rs7.2 million was required in advance university fees before authenticated documents could be issued.
When the family directly contacted the American university to verify the documentation, they discovered the papers were fake. Although the documents had initially been reviewed and returned by a woman identified as an employee at the university, their authenticity was subsequently repudiated upon further verification.
The young woman, who worked as a home tutor in Sector G-11, went to teach on the day of the incident but was later discovered dead under mysterious circumstances. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause and circumstances surrounding her death.
Her uncle revealed that the victim was deeply distressed over the financial loss and scam. In her final conversation with him regarding the matter, she reportedly begged, "Please do not tell my father about the fraud committed against me; he will not survive the shock."
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has initiated a full-scale investigation into the fraudulent scheme. Sources confirm that law enforcement officials have begun making arrests targeting the principal agent and affiliated network members as part of a wider crackdown on fraudulent overseas education consultancies.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of Laiba's death, directing the Islamabad Inspector General of Police to immediately arrest the suspect. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry visited the residence of the deceased on Saturday to offer their condolences.