Indian student's Reddit confession goes horribly wrong

Brut India

12 Jul 202405:00

Summary

TLDRA 19-year-old Indian student, Arian Anand, admitted to a U.S. university through a meticulously planned fraud involving fake documents, including a forged death certificate of his father. His Reddit post detailing his fraudulent journey and fears of retribution led to his exposure and deportation. Despite receiving a full scholarship, Anand continued to cheat academically and secured an internship under false pretenses. His confession on Reddit resulted in his arrest and charges of forgery and theft, with the university opting to report him to India rather than pressing for a $85,000 restitution and a potential 20-year prison term.

Takeaways

📚 A 19-year-old Indian student, Aran Anand, admitted to a US university through a series of fraudulent activities.
🎓 He used fake documents, including a marksheet and a fake death certificate of his father, to secure admission at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
🤔 Aran expressed moral conflict and fear of future consequences in an anonymous Reddit post, indicating his actions were wrong but hadn't faced problems yet.
🏫 The student's academic journey began to falter in class 10, with the cancellation of board exams, leading to a lack of interest in competitive exams.
🎬 Aran confessed to spending time watching horror movies instead of studying, and struggling with subjects like physics and chemistry.
📝 He devised a detailed plan to apply for foreign colleges, starting with editing his marksheets and getting a cover letter written by a professional service.
🚫 Despite facing rejections, Aran secured admission and a full scholarship from Lehigh University, which also covered his meal costs after he lied about his father's death.
💡 Aran considered changing his ways and studying seriously but reverted to cheating on exams and even secured an internship by falsifying his academic standing.
📡 His life took a turn when he posted his fraudulent scheme on Reddit, which led to his exposure and deportation from the US.
🔍 A moderator from the subreddit recognized the authenticity of Aran's story and contacted Lehigh University, prompting an investigation.
🏛️ Aran was arrested and charged with forgery and other crimes, but the university decided against pressing charges for the financial loss, opting for his deportation instead.

Q & A

Who is the student mentioned in the script and what did he do?
-The student mentioned is Arian Anand, a 19-year-old from India, who committed fraud to gain admission to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
What kind of fraudulent activities did Arian Anand engage in to get admitted to the US university?
-Arian Anand used fake documents, including falsified marksheets and a fake death certificate of his father, to secure admission and a full scholarship at Lehigh University.
How did Arian Anand expose his own fraudulent activities?
-Arian Anand indirectly exposed himself by posting a detailed confession of his fraudulent activities on Reddit.
What did Arian Anand do to convince the university to cover his meal costs?
-Arian Anand lied to the university, claiming that his father had died of cancer and that his mother would only receive half of his father's salary as a pension, which led the university to cover his meal costs.
What was Arian Anand's academic situation after he arrived in the US?
-After arriving in the US, Arian Anand continued to cheat on his exams and later forged documents to secure an internship, as he was not interested in studying.
How did the Reddit post lead to Arian Anand's deportation?
-A moderator of the subreddit where Anand posted recognized the university he was attending and informed Lehigh University, which conducted an investigation and confirmed Anand's identity, leading to his deportation.
What charges were brought against Arian Anand, and what was his plea?
-Arian Anand was charged with forgery, tampering with records, identification theft, and theft by deception. He pleaded guilty to one count of forgery.
What were the potential consequences for Arian Anand if the university had not decided to only deport him?
-If the university had not opted for deportation, Arian Anand could have faced a prison term of up to 20 years in the US.
What motivated the Reddit moderator to expose Arian Anand's fraudulent activities?
-The moderator, a 19-year-old from Faridabad and a former JE aspirant, felt it was morally right to expose Anand because of the hardships faced by students appearing for competitive exams.
What conditions did Lehigh University set for Arian Anand's deportation?
-Lehigh University agreed to Anand's deportation on the condition that they would not charge him for the $85,000 they lost on him.

Outlines

00:00

🚨 Exposing the Fraud: Aran Anand's Confession

Aran Anand, a 19-year-old Indian student, confessed on Reddit about his fraudulent journey to gain admission to Lehi University in Pennsylvania. His post, titled 'I have built my life and career on lies and fraud,' detailed his use of fake documents, including a forged marksheet and a fake death certificate for his father. He expressed moral confusion and fear of future repercussions.

🎓 The Fraudulent Journey Begins

Anand's story began in class 10 when the board exams were canceled. He struggled with his studies in class 11, particularly in physics and chemistry. Instead of preparing for exams, he spent nights watching horror movies. Eventually, the idea of studying abroad appealed to him, leading him to research the application process and fabricate documents, including edited marksheets from classes 9 to 11.

📚 The Path to Foreign Education

Determined to secure admission with a full scholarship, Anand used ChatGPT to write a cover letter and faced multiple rejections. However, Lehi University offered him a full scholarship, except for meals. To avoid asking his parents for money, he fabricated a story about his father's death, convincing the university to cover all his expenses, including meals and a round-trip ticket to India.

✈️ Arrival and Academic Deceit in the US

In August 2023, Anand arrived in the US without spending any money. Despite intentions to study seriously, he lost interest and resorted to cheating in exams. To earn more money, he edited his transcript to appear as a third-year marketing student, securing a $1,500-per-month internship.

📝 The Reddit Confession and Consequences

After a year of deceit, Anand posted the details of his fraudulent activities on Reddit in February 2024. A 19-year-old moderator from Faridabad exposed him by informing Lehi University, leading to an investigation that confirmed Anand's identity. This resulted in his deportation and charges of forgery, tampering with records, and theft by deception.

⚖️ Legal Repercussions and Plea

On April 30th, Anand was arrested and faced multiple charges. By June 12th, he pleaded guilty to forgery. The university agreed to deport him back to India without pressing charges for the $85,000 they lost, sparing him from a potential 20-year prison sentence in the US.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Fraud

Fraud is the intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual. In the context of the video, the Indian student committed fraud by using fake documents to secure admission and financial aid to a US university. His actions are central to the video's theme of deception and its consequences.

💡Fake Documents

Fake documents refer to any documents that are not genuine and are created with the intent to deceive. The student in the video used fake marksheets and even a fake death certificate of his father to support his fabricated story and secure a scholarship.

💡Admission

Admission in this context refers to the process of being accepted into an educational institution. The student's elaborate fraud was aimed at gaining admission to a US university, which is a key part of the narrative as it shows the lengths he went to achieve his goal.

💡Scholarship

A scholarship is a financial aid award given to students to support their education. The student was particularly interested in a full scholarship to cover all his expenses, which was a significant motivation behind his fraudulent activities.

💡Reddit

Reddit is a social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website. In the video, the student's downfall came after he posted details of his fraudulent activities on a Reddit subreddit, which led to his exposure and eventual deportation.

💡Deception

Deception is the act of deceiving or misleading others. The student's entire plan was built on deception, from his fake documents to his fabricated personal story, which he used to gain sympathy and secure financial aid.

💡Forgeries

Forgeries are copies or imitations made with the intent to deceive. The student created forgeries of his academic records and personal documents, which were pivotal in his fraudulent scheme to gain admission and financial support.

💡Academic Cheating

Academic cheating refers to dishonest behaviors in an academic setting, such as cheating on exams. The student continued his pattern of dishonesty by cheating on his college exams, which is an extension of his initial fraudulent actions.

💡Internship

An internship is a period of work experience in a particular job or profession. The student secured an internship by falsely presenting himself as a more advanced student, demonstrating his ongoing deceit to maintain his situation.

💡Deportation

Deportation is the removal of a person from one country to another, typically their home country, often due to legal reasons. The student's confession on Reddit led to his deportation from the US, which is a significant consequence of his fraudulent actions.

💡Prosecution

Prosecution refers to the process of bringing a legal case against someone accused of a crime. The student faced prosecution for forgery and other charges after his fraudulent activities were discovered, highlighting the legal ramifications of his actions.

Highlights

A 19-year-old Indian student, Aran Anand, admitted to structured fraud to secure admission to a US university.

Anand detailed his fraudulent activities on Reddit, revealing how he used fake documents to gain admission.

He created fake marksheets and even a fake death certificate for his father.

Anand received acceptance from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania with a full scholarship.

He convinced the university to cover his meal costs by claiming his father had died of cancer.

Anand used ChatGPT to write his cover letter for college applications.

He found studying abroad appealing and stopped studying for his Class 12 boards.

Anand started cheating on his college exams after realizing he was not interested in studying.

He edited his transcript to appear as a third-year marketing student and secured a $1,500/month internship.

Anand lived in the US for a year without getting caught before exposing his plan on Reddit.

The post on Reddit led to his deportation after being reported by the moderator of a subreddit.

The moderator, a 19-year-old from Faridabad, felt morally obligated to expose Anand's fraud.

Lehigh University conducted an investigation and confirmed Anand's identity.

Anand was arrested on April 30th and charged with multiple crimes including forgery and theft.

On June 12th, Anand pleaded guilty to one count of forgery.

The university decided to deport Anand without charging him the $85,000 they lost on him.

Had the university pursued charges, Anand could have faced up to 20 years in prison in the US.