Aryan Anand, a 19-year-old Indian student faces expulsion and deportation after confessing on Reddit to fabricating documents, including a forged death certificate, to secure a scholarship at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Anand’s elaborate deception included forging his board exam results in the 10th, fabricating transcripts and essays, and even creating a fake death certificate for his alive father!
Two months ago, Anand was arrested on felony counts of forgery and theft. However, at the request of university officials, he was instead expelled and deported to India. The 19-year-old confessed that he lost interest in his studies, turned to heavy drinking, and cheated in exams to maintain his scholarship. He also faked internships to earn money. The reddit post also noted that the 19-year-old had created a fraudulent email address to impersonate a school principal.
The deception was uncovered after a Reddit moderator flagged a post titled “I have built my life and career on lies,” where the student confessed to fabricating details to secure full scholarship. The student pleaded guilty to forgery on June 12 and was sentenced to one to three months in Northampton County Prison.
Daniel Salu, 16-year-old student of GEMS Founder’s, criticizes his actions, yet sympathizes with Anand, pointing out that family ideals could also push adolescents to commit such crimes, “Maybe he may have done it to boost his parents’ pride.” This may/may not be true for Anand’s case, but it does point out the obvious societal and family pressure that students face, that drives them to such insanity, especially in the Asian continent.
Noor Faatima from His Highness Shaikh Rashid Al Maktoum Pakistani School Dubai suggests that “No matter how desperate a person might be you cannot challenge the law, it never ends well.” The 17-year-old points out that “he could’ve chosen a different path” and that students are not limited to linear academic journey.
Gina Kanan, a high school graduate, has a similar viewpoint, stating, “I kind of understand his point of view, most people are unable to go to universities, however, there are aids and supports in a lot of unis.” “He risked 10-20 years of his life, when he could’ve thought of a different way that could lead him to a university” She added.
Abdul Wahid, 19, of Murdoch University Dubai, raises a great concern for the rest of the applicants, saying, “This reduces the reliability and chances of other students. Others could have also done the same thing by adding the fake information about themselves, making it unfair for the rest of us”.
Mateo Luengo, a 19-year-old graduate in the UAE, suggests that his actions albeit humorous does not require such publicity especially due to fact that “the level of extremity in his actions are rare and do not occur very often.” He suggests that students aren’t likely to attempt it as, “many students are wise enough not to try to fool a university.”
Dr. Ahona Guha, a self-employed consultant clinical and forensic psychologist remarked in her article ‘The Psychology of Conning and Fraud’ that, “People typically lie for extrinsic motivations, to avoid an aversive consequence, to maintain relationships, or because of situational demands.”
2 thoughts on “Indian student Deported from US Over Fraud Scandal: Here’s What Youth from Dubai Have to Say”
Good Article
Excellent article, leading today’s youth & teenagers to follow the right path to grow high in life & make not only your family & surrounding proud of you but also make yourself proud by following the right path 👌