Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday took notice of the death of Laiba Ijaz, a student at the International Islamic University Islamabad, who was found dead in the capital a day earlier.

Laiba, who had aspired to study at a US university, was found hanging from a tree near a road in Islamabad on Friday, after her family allegedly lost around Rs7 million to a consultant who had promised to secure her admission and a scholarship.

According to her family, they had lost around Rs7 million to a man who allegedly promised to secure her admission to a US university on a scholarship.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the premier described the young student’s death as an extremely regrettable incident.

“The accused should be arrested forthwith and awarded exemplary punishment in accordance with the law,” the prime minister said, directing the inspector general of Islamabad police and the chief commissioner to take immediate action against the suspect.

Laiba’s funeral prayers were offered on Saturday, with residents of the area mourning her death. Residents described her as an exceptionally talented and studious student.

The family has approached the Federal Investigation Agency to pursue legal action against the suspect, while the agency has obtained details of the alleged fraud and documents provided to the student as part of its proceedings.

Read: Islamabad student found dead after allegedly losing Rs7m in education scam

The family alleged that the suspect had lured Laiba with the promise of a scholarship at Harvard and provided her with a forged scholarship letter. They said he had also portrayed himself as her sponsor to obtain money from them.

According to the family, the suspect claimed to be an accounts officer at the Islamabad High Court and at other times presented himself as an employee of the superior judiciary or an officer of a sensitive institution.

The family further alleged that he had promised to secure a government job for Laiba’s brother and taken an additional Rs500,000 for the purpose.

Laiba’s brother had asked their father for money to start a business, but their father had decided to spend his resources on educating his daughter, the family said.

According to Laiba’s brother-in-law, the International Islamic University had offered her a scholarship to study in Saudi Arabia after she secured good marks in her bachelor’s degree.

When Laiba told the suspect about the offer, he allegedly claimed that he could arrange a scholarship for her in the United States instead.

The family said Laiba and her father had communicated with the suspect exclusively through WhatsApp. They also alleged that a woman was involved in the scheme. The suspect had told Laiba that the woman was based in the United States and worked for his company, they added.

The family alleged that the suspect had posed as an agent to facilitate Laiba’s travel abroad but had defrauded them instead. They said a forged admission letter purportedly issued by Harvard University had also been provided.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also visited the family, accompanied by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry.

Addressing a press conference later, Naqvi vowed strict action against those involved in the case, saying the authorities would ensure the arrest of the suspects, recover the money taken from victims and bring those responsible to justice.

“We will soon arrest everyone involved in this incident. We will also recover the money and ensure that they are punished,” the interior minister said, adding that the police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were actively pursuing the case.

He described the matter as a test case and said the authorities would take action against individuals involved in fraud and related criminal networks. He also urged the public to give the police sufficient time to apprehend the suspect.

Naqvi said the case would be pursued on a priority basis and pledged to personally oversee its progress.

“The suspect is not part of the gang involved in the case; he is a swindler,” he said, distinguishing the individual under investigation from the wider criminal network.

The minister further stated that PM Shehbaz had directed him to ensure that arrests were made in connection with the case.

Naqvi also discussed the government’s efforts to combat human smuggling and trafficking.

He said the European Union had acknowledged a reduction of up to 64% in human smuggling. Referring to his recent visit to Türkiye, he added that the Turkish government had acknowledged a decline in human trafficking linked to illegal gangs, from 70% to 17%.

“We will eliminate these gangs involved in trafficking by the will of Allah,” he said.

The interior minister also highlighted operational challenges facing the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), stating that the department had a staff strength of 61 and received approximately 3,000 complaints daily.

He said recommendations had been forwarded to the prime minister to improve the department’s efficiency and strengthen its capacity to handle complaints.

Naqvi added that the government was working to integrate the NCCIA’s complaint system with the Pak ID platform to enable authorities to monitor progress in individual cases.

He said further details about the initiative would be announced in the coming days, expressing confidence that the public would soon notice improvements in the system.