Fake BARC scientist held for trying to sell nuclear design to Iran

A man, recently arrested by the Mumbai Police for posing as a Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) scientist, has been found to be trying to sell purported nuclear-technology related designs to Iranian companies under the guise of "scientific collaboration" and partnership in research.

Trying to sell ‘nuclear reactor’ design

The arrested, Akhtar Hussaini Qutbuddin Ahmed (60), and his brother Adil Hussaini (59), who has also been arrested, were trying to sell a purported design of a lithium-6 reactor to Iranian companies, reported NDTV, quoting sources, adding that VPNs and an encrypted network were being used to avoid detection.

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The duo visited Tehran around March and April. They also visited Iranian embassies in India and Dubai multiple times. According to media reports, they duped a Iranian diplomat based in Mumbai by posing as BARC scientists and using fake details and reactor blueprints.

False claims to Iranian companies

Investigators said that the accused told the Iranian companies that they had developed a “lithium-6-based fusion reactor prototype” that could control plasma temperatures. The accused also claimed to have tested a reactor using lithium-7, but it failed due to "plasma heating failure", reported NDTV.

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The report further states that scientists roped in for the probe clarified that the purported prototype mentioned by the accused was only a theoretical concept, and there is no scientific evidence to prove that it actually works.

The accused used complex scientific jargon like nuclear reactor physics, isotope chemistry and plasma dynamics to confuse the investigators, who roped in experts from the related fields to decipher their statements.

The backdrop

Akhtar, a resident of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, was arrested by the Mumbai Police, while his brother was arrested by the Delhi Police. Authorities earlier seized over 10 maps and purported data connected to nuclear weapons from Akhtar.

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Police also recovered multiple fake documents, including passports, Aadhaar and PAN cards, along with a counterfeit BARC identification card. One ID listed his name as Ali Raza Hussain, and another as Alexander Palmer.

Investigators said the brothers started receiving foreign funds in 1995, initially in lakhs of rupees, which increased to crores after 2000. The money is believed to have been given in return for confidential blueprints linked to BARC and other nuclear facilities.