Islamabad student allegedly dies by suicide

ISLAMABAD: A student of the International Islamic University Islamabad, Laiba Ijaz, allegedly died by suicide after finding out that the documents provided by an agent for admission to a US university were fake, police said on Saturday. The victim’s body was reportedly found hanging by the roadside in Islamabad’s G-10 sector, in the jurisdiction of Ramna police station.

According to police, the victim was distressed after discovering that the documents provided by the agent were fraudulent. Laiba’s family revealed that she had completed her BS degree from the International Islamic University with a gold medal and wanted to pursue further studies abroad. The family further said that an immigration consultant had demanded Rs7 million to secure her admission to a US university.

Laiba’s father, who lived with his family in a rented flat and sold milk on a motorcycle, sold his plot and paid Rs2.1 million in cash to the agent, they added. The family said Laiba’s mother’s jewellery was also deposited with a bank to arrange the remaining amount. They said when Laiba had the admission documents checked, she discovered that all of them were fake.

She sent a final message to her maternal uncle, saying that: “Do not tell my father about the fraud committed against me. He will die.” Police have expanded the scope of their investigation and are examining the case from different angles. They said they had yet to receive Laiba’s post-mortem report, adding that the actual cause of death would be determined after the report was received.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the alleged suicide of Laiba, describing the incident as extremely tragic, the PM’s Office said. The premier directed the Islamabad inspector general of police and chief commissioner to immediately arrest the suspect accused of defrauding the student. He said the suspect would be given exemplary punishment in accordance with the law.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the interior ministry took notice of the incident and directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take immediate action. He said the student was defrauded and authorities ordered action against those responsible.

The FIA director general was working on the case, while the FIA director had also met the victim’s parents, he added. The minister said those involved in the incident would be brought to justice. The probe agency has launched an initial inquiry into the alleged suicide of Laiba, FIA Director Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari said. Describing the matter as serious, Bukhari said a case would be registered after the inquiry.

He said the suspect allegedly defrauded Laiba of Rs7.2 million on the pretext of securing her admission to a university abroad and also took Rs500,000 from her brother on the promise of arranging a job. According to the FIA director, the suspect would pose as an employee of the Supreme Court or an officer of a government institution. Bukhari said Laiba had planned to surprise her family on October 12 with news of her admission to Harvard University. However, two days earlier, she had the university registration certificate checked and discovered that it was fake, he added. The FIA director also confirmed that Laiba had sent her final message to her maternal uncle.

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