As the Indian student population continues to increase in the U.S., we are hearing more stories about fraud and scams in universities. Here’s a fresh one that’s making headlines.
A former Indian student at Lehigh University, Aryan Anand, faked his father’s death to get a full scholarship and admission to the school, according to the Northampton County district attorney’s office.
Anand, 19, admitted to forging transcripts, financial statements, and his father’s death certificate. He also created a fake email address pretending to be a school principal.
Anand’s father is actually alive in India.
“I have built my life and career on lies,” Anand wrote on Reddit. He anonymously posted details of his scheme, which a Reddit moderator reported to the university. The Lehigh University Police Department investigated and confirmed the details.
Lehigh University thanked the person who reported the post and praised the police for their investigation, leading to Anand’s arrest. The university also acknowledged the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office for prosecuting the case.
Anand started as a first-year student at Lehigh in August 2023, but his admission was revoked this year. He pleaded guilty to forgery on June 12 and was sentenced to one to three months in Northampton County Prison, which was counted as time served. His lawyer, Molly Heidorn, had no further comments.
As part of a plea deal, Anand agreed to return to India, and Lehigh University decided not to seek $85,000 in restitution. Charges of theft and tampering with records were dropped. Anand was arrested and charged.
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