A forged Harvard University admission letter [Facebook of Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, former Pakistani senator]
A forged Harvard University admission letter [Facebook of Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, former Pakistani senator]

A young Pakistani woman whose family sold their land and pawned jewelry after being promised a Harvard University admission has been found dead, sending shockwaves across the country.

Raiba Ijaz, a graduate of the International Islamic University Islamabad, was found dead Friday along a roadside in the capital under the jurisdiction of the Ramna police station, according to Pakistani daily Dawn and other local outlets.

Raiba had graduated with a gold medal in physics and dreamed of studying abroad when an immigration consultant approached her with an offer to arrange Harvard admission and a scholarship. The consultant introduced himself as an accountant at the Islamabad High Court to build credibility and reportedly demanded 7 million rupees in exchange for guaranteeing her admission.

Her father, who sold milk while living in a rented apartment, sold a plot of land and handed the consultant 2.1 million rupees in cash for his daughter's dream. Her mother is said to have pledged her jewelry at a bank to raise the remaining amount.

The admission letter and scholarship documents Raiba received later turned out to be forgeries. After learning she had been defrauded, she sent a message to her maternal uncle saying, "Please never tell my father about the fraud. It will kill him," before she was found dead.

Once the case came to light, Pakistan's prime minister ordered the Islamabad police chief and station commander to arrest the suspect immediately. The prime minister said he was aware of the circumstances surrounding Raiba's death and described the case as "deeply tragic."

The suspect was arrested Saturday in the H-13 area of Islamabad. According to Geo News, he had been hiding in a rented room in the area, and evidence of online fraud and extortion was found on a seized mobile phone.

Federal Investigation Agency Director Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari said investigators had launched a preliminary inquiry into the circumstances of Raiba's death. The interior minister said all those involved in the case would be brought to justice.

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, dial the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 109, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.


bbo@heraldcorp.com