ISLAMABAD: Police have arrested Noman over allegations that he defrauded gold medallist Laiba Ijaz of Rs. 9.3 million by promising a US scholarship and visa.
Deputy Inspector General of Operations confirmed the arrest. Police are questioning Noman. Investigators from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have registered a case against him and Fatima Sarwar over the alleged fraud.
The first information report (FIR) accuses both suspects of using forged scholarship documents and university admission letters to deceive Ijaz and her family. It describes promises to arrange her visa and secure a scholarship.
According to the FIR, Rs.2.9 million passed through Ijaz’s bank account, while the family paid the remaining amount in cash.
Ijaz studied at International Islamic University Islamabad. She had completed a bachelor’s degree and wanted to pursue further studies abroad, her family said.
Separately, relatives described a consultant demanding Rs. 7 million to arrange admission to an American university. They recounted that she paid Rs.2.1 million in cash after her father sold a plot.
Her father sold milk on a motorcycle and lived with the family in a rented flat, relatives said. They pledged her mother’s jewellery at a bank to raise more money.
Read: BEOE Warns of Trade Test Centre Visa Fraud in Pakistan
Family members said Ijaz discovered the alleged deception when she had the admission documents checked.
Her body was recovered near G-10 Sunday Market. The FIR describes her death as suicide. Police had previously said they were awaiting a post-mortem report to establish the cause of death
