Key Takeaways
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed police and FIA to arrest the accused in Laiba Aijaz’s suicide case.
- The accused allegedly defrauded the student of millions of rupees for visa and university admission purposes.
- FIA Islamabad Zone has initiated an investigation and is conducting raids to trace and arrest the accused.
The government of Pakistan has taken immediate action following the tragic suicide of student Laiba Aijaz, drawing attention to a case of alleged visa fraud.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with the Islamabad police chief and chief commissioner, directing them to arrest the accused individual responsible for defrauding the deceased student.
Sources in the police and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) informed Dawn that the prime minister called Inspector General Mohammad Sohail Chaudhry and Chief Commissioner Islamabad Sohail Ashraf, instructing them to apprehend the accused.
The capital police registered a case against the accused under Sections 322 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code on Saturday, following a complaint lodged by Mohammad Aijaz, a native of Sargodha residing in G-10.
The accused is alleged to have defrauded Laiba of millions of rupees, using a combination of false identity and professional claims to gain the family’s trust.
According to the FIA, the accused misrepresented his identity and professional status, claiming to work as an accountant at the Supreme Court of Pakistan, but later made conflicting claims about his employment.
The FIA stated that Rs550,000 was paid to the accused for securing employment for Laiba’s brother, while Rs7.2 million was handed over on the pretext of securing Laiba’s admission to Harvard University in the United States.
The accused allegedly defrauded Laiba with the help of a female accomplice, and the FIA is examining the payments and claims made by the accused.
Following an analysis of call detail records and location data, a joint police and family search found Laiba’s body hanging by a scarf from a tree inside a fenced enclosure on the G-10 Sunday Bazaar green belt.
The body was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in an Edhi ambulance, and the formal autopsy report is awaited.
Forensic examination of the victim’s clothes and biological samples has been secured and sealed, and investigators have also secured the visa documents allegedly provided by the accused.
A special police team has been formed to trace and arrest the accused and his female accomplice, with his name placed on the stop list to prevent him from leaving the country.
