Student Fakes Documents For Scholarship, Deported To India

Photo: Lehigh University

India-West News Desk

PHILADELPHIA, PA – An Indian student, Aryan Anand, has been arrested and deported after it was discovered that he falsified documents to secure a full scholarship at Lehigh University. Anand, who was a first-year student, was apprehended two months ago following a confession he made in a now-deleted Reddit post where he boasted about his deceitful actions.

In his confession, Anand, 19, detailed how he fabricated transcripts, essays, and even a death certificate for his father, who is alive, to gain admission and a full scholarship to the university. The post was flagged by a Reddit moderator who connected Anand to Lehigh University and alerted university officials.

Anand faced felony charges of forgery and theft of services, which could have resulted in up to 20 years in prison. However, at the request of Lehigh University officials, he was expelled and deported to India instead.

Lehigh University expressed their appreciation for the investigation in a statement: “We appreciate the report and the thorough investigation that brought this matter to light.” Michael Weinert, Northampton County Assistant District Attorney, explained how the Reddit moderator’s actions led to Anand’s connection with Lehigh University. “The defendant only had one other university that he followed, which was Lehigh University. So, the moderator reached out to Lehigh to give them a heads up,” Weinert said, according to 6ABC.

Anand’s scheme included forging financial statements and creating a fake email address to impersonate a school principal. He enrolled at Lehigh in August 2023, but his admission was revoked this year. On June 12, Anand pleaded guilty to forgery and was sentenced to one to three months in Northampton County Prison, amounting to time served.

As part of a plea deal, Anand agreed to return to India, and Lehigh University decided not to pursue restitution of $85,000. Consequently, charges of theft and tampering with records were dropped.