Fraudster linked to Laiba Ejaz case duped nine more victims, sources say

ISLAMABAD – A man identified as Noman, whose deception led to the death of gold‑medalist student Laiba Ejaz, is now alleged to have swindled at least nine additional people, ARY News reported on the basis of unnamed sources. According to the sources, Noman pretended to offer job placements, but none of the victims had ever filed a formal complaint. Islamabad police have located several of the victims after uncovering that the suspect had issued fraudulent job offer letters to nine individuals. After extracting hundreds of thousands of rupees, Noman fled, prompting more victims to come forward and approach the authorities.

The same fraudster had previously tricked Laiba Ejaz, a bright student who had taken her own life in Islamabad after being misled by an education consultant. Laiba’s maternal uncle told ARY News that she had always wanted to study in the United States and become a scientist. To pursue that dream, she turned to a consultancy in the Blue Area of Islamabad, where a man calling himself Noman promised to secure a scholarship for her. The arrangement, as explained to the family, required them to pay 20 percent of the costs while the university would cover the remaining 80 percent. After submitting the required documents, the family was told the scholarship had been approved.

The uncle said the consultant learned that the family had savings of roughly Rs 1.2 million to Rs 1.3 million and convinced them to hand over the money. He later added that a new requirement for a bank statement was introduced, prompting the family to sell a plot of land and transfer Rs 4 million to the consultant’s account.