Indian student fakes father's death, documents to score US varsity scholarship; to be deported

A 19-year-old Indian student was expelled from a US university and was asked to leave the country after it was discovered that his application including a scholarship, which he had 'won' was entirely fraudulent.

The incident came to light when he shared on Reddit that he had 'built my life and career on lies'. The post had the student accepting that the documents he submitted to enter the university were fabricated.

The student, as per a report by India Today, faked his father's death to get a full scholarship.

Enrolled at the Lehigh University in Bethlehem in Pennyslvania since last year, the student had completed his first year but after the fraud came to light, his admission was revoked, the report said.

Earlier this month, the student pleaded guilty to forgery after he was arrested in April and was sentenced to one to three months in Northampton County Prison, equivalent to time served.

As part of his elaborate fraudulent scheme, the student had falsified financial documents, marksheets and a fake death certificate for his father.

The university dropped the charges of theft, record tampering when the student agreed to return to India. The institute also decided against restitution amounting to almost Rs 70 lakh.

He had also reportedly created a fake email address to impersonate a school principal.

Closer to home, The University Grants Commission(UGC) has warned the public against fake online programmes with abbreviations similar to recognised degree nomenclature, officials said, flagging a particular "10-day MBA" course.

"Some individuals or organisations are offering online programmes and courses with abbreviated forms similar to the higher education system's recognised degree programmes. One such programme to which the attention of the commission has been drawn is a '10 Days MBA'," University Grants Commission (UGC) Secretary Manish Joshi said.