Pakistani physics gold medalist’s death sparks fraud investigation over fake US scholarship

Laiba Ejaz, a 24-year-old Pakistani physics gold medalist, was found dead on October 9, 2026, in Islamabad. Her death has prompted a federal investigation into an alleged education consultancy fraud that cost her family 9.3 million Pakistani rupees. Two suspects allegedly supplied forged Harvard admission and scholarship documents.

Laiba Ejaz, a 24-year-old Pakistani physics gold medalist from Sargodha, was found dead on Friday, October 9, 2026, at a weekly market in Islamabad's G-10 sector. Police said her body was hanging from a tree. Her death has sparked a national outcry and a federal investigation into an alleged education consultancy fraud. Two suspects, Muhammad Nauman and Fatima Sarwar, allegedly defrauded Ejaz and her family of 9.3 million Pakistani rupees (around $34,000) by promising to secure her admission to Harvard University with a scholarship and a US visa. The suspects allegedly supplied forged admission letters, scholarship documents, and payment receipts. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a thorough investigation, describing Ejaz's death as 'extremely tragic.' The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a criminal case against the suspects. Nauman was arrested during a raid in Islamabad. Ejaz had earned a gold medal in physics from the International Islamic University Islamabad and dreamed of becoming a scientist. Her father, a street vendor who sold milk and yogurt, sold a plot of land to finance her plans. Her mother pawned her jewelry. The case has renewed concerns about fraudulent consultants targeting Pakistani families seeking educational opportunities abroad.