Rs7m US admission scam linked to IIUI gold medallist’s suicide

An alleged Rs7 million education scam has emerged as a possible factor in the suspected suicide of Laiba, a gold medallist in the BS programme at Islamabad’s International Islamic University, her family has said.

Police officials said Laiba’s family maintained that an education consultant had demanded a large sum of money on the pretext of securing her admission to a US university, but the admission documents later turned out to be fake.

According to the family, Laiba wanted to pursue higher education in the United States and had hired the consultant for the purpose.

The consultant allegedly demanded a total of Rs7 million to facilitate her admission.

Her father, who sells milk on a motorcycle and supports his children’s education despite limited financial resources, sold his personal plot to pay the consultant an advance of Rs2.1 million in the hope of securing a better future for his daughter.

The family also pledged Laiba’s mother’s jewellery with a bank to secure a loan to cover the remaining amount.

The alleged fraud came to light when the family had the admission documents verified through relevant sources and discovered that they were fake, police officials said.

After learning of the alleged scam, Laiba reportedly suffered severe emotional distress.

She sent a final message to her maternal uncle, pleading with him not to tell her father about the fraud, according to the family.

Police have launched a formal investigation into the alleged education scam and the circumstances surrounding Laiba’s suspected suicide, with the aim of identifying those responsible and bringing them to justice.