Laiba Ijaz, a gold medallist who completed her bachelor’s degree from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, allegedly died by suicide following a Harvard admission scam.
*Trigger warning: This article discusses suicide and may be distressing to some readers*.
Her father, who sold milk on a motorcycle to support his family and educate his children, sold a plot of land and paid Rs2.1 million in cash to the agent. To arrange the remaining amount, Laiba’s mother’s jewellery was also pledged at a bank.
According to reports, the 20-year-old girl later discovered that the admission letter provided by an agent was fake. She was also under severe mental stress after learning about the fraud.
On Friday, she left home, telling her mother she would return shortly. She was later found hanging from a tree near Itwar Bazaar. According to the reports, Laiba sent a final message to her uncle, asking him not to tell her father about the fraud because she feared he would not be able to bear the news.
According to the fake Harvard admission letter circulating on social media, Laiba had applied for a Master’s in Physics for the semester starting in 2026 and was offered a 70 per cent scholarship. The letter also claimed that $7,500 (around Rs2 million) was paid in May 2026. However, when Laiba verified the letter, it turned out to be fake.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken notice of her death, and the police are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.
The student’s post-mortem report has not yet been received, and the actual cause of her death will be determined once the report becomes available.