FIA Busts Fake HEC Scholarship and Medical Certificate Networks
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency’s Islamabad Zone has arrested four suspects in two separate operations targeting an alleged overseas scholarship fraud and the sale of fabricated medico-legal certificates. The cases involve students reportedly deceived through forged Higher Education Commission documents and an alleged network operating from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in the federal capital.
In the first operation, the FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle arrested a suspect from Sialkot who was allegedly running a business under the name Broadway Consultancy. Investigators said the agency attracted students by promising admission to the University of Nevada, Reno, along with HEC-funded doctoral scholarships in the United States.
According to the FIA, applicants were allegedly charged $10,000 each and given documents carrying the name of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. The paperwork was subsequently sent to the HEC for authentication and was declared forged, prompting the agency to register a criminal case against the accused.
The suspect has been booked under sections 420, 468 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which relate to cheating, forgery and abetment. The operation was conducted by an investigation team led by Assistant Director Mohammad Nouman, with ASI Mazhar Shah and other officials participating in the arrest and recovery process.
In the second case, the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle conducted a trap raid at the medico-legal office of Pims Hospital on July 21. The action was carried out with prior approval from the competent authority and under the supervision of a judicial magistrate, according to details released by the agency.
An FIA official posed as an injured person and approached the suspects to obtain a fabricated medico-legal certificate. Marked currency was provided as an advance payment, after which Mohammad Usman, a lower-division clerk at the office, was allegedly caught receiving Rs50,000. A medico-legal officer and ward attendant Rameez Akhtar were subsequently arrested following information obtained during the operation.
Investigators alleged that the group issued false medical certificates in return for bribes and that the documents were later used to register fabricated criminal cases at police stations across Islamabad. The FIA further claimed that, in cases where an applicant had no genuine injury, superficial cuts were made and stitched to create medical evidence that could support a false complaint.
Officials seized previous medico-legal records from the premises and examined mobile phones recovered from the suspects. The agency said the devices contained potentially incriminating conversations and records of banking transactions. A case has been registered under multiple provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
A court granted three days of physical remand for the two male suspects, while the arrested medico-legal officer was sent to jail on judicial remand. The allegations have not yet been proven in court, and the FIA says its investigation remains in progress as officers examine the seized records, financial trails and possible links to additional beneficiaries.
The two cases have wider implications for Pakistan’s education and justice systems. Fraudulent scholarship offers can expose students and their families to severe financial losses, while forged medico-legal certificates can influence police investigations and undermine legitimate criminal proceedings. Further inquiries are expected to determine the number of victims, identify any additional participants and establish how long the alleged networks had been operating.