{
  "id": 13945920,
  "title": "Pakistani physics gold medalist’s death sparks fraud investigation over fake US scholarship",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/pakistani-physics-gold-medalists-death-sparks-fraud-investigation",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T11:52:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/international/article-911434"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Laiba Ejaz, a 24-year-old physics student from Sargodha, Pakistan, tragically took her own life on October 9 in Islamabad's G-10 sector, leaving her family devastated and sparking a federal investigation into alleged wrongdoing by an education consultancy firm. Laiba's death has shone a light on the alleged fraud carried out by Muhammad Nauman and Fatima Sarwar, who allegedly swindled her family of 9.3 million Pakistani rupees (around $34,000) by promising her admission to Harvard University and a scholarship. Nauman and Sarwar allegedly supplied forged admission letters and payment receipts. The Pakistani government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has ordered a thorough investigation, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and State Minister Talal Chaudhry visiting the family. Authorities have registered a criminal case against Nauman and Sarwar following a complaint from Ejaz's maternal uncle. The investigation suggests that the couple operated an impersonation scam, using false documents to deceive Laiba's family and potentially engaging in other online fraud schemes.",
  "summary": "Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a thorough investigation, describing Ejaz’s death as “extremely tragic.\"",
  "key_points": [
    "24-year-old Laiba Ejaz, Pakistani physics student, died on October 9",
    "Muhammad Nauman and Fatima Sarwar accused of defrauding her family",
    "Federal investigation launched over alleged Harvard scholarship scam"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}