Fake BARC scientist arrested in Mumbai; probe traces millions in foreign funding

Dubai: Mumbai Police have arrested a 60-year-old man who allegedly posed as a Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) scientist and received millions in foreign funding over nearly three decades. His brother, accused of helping forge documents and manage overseas transactions, has also been detained.

According to NDTV, Akhtar Hussaini, a resident of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, was arrested last week from Versova’s Yari Road in Mumbai. Police seized more than 10 maps and purported data related to nuclear weapons from his possession, along with multiple fake passports, Aadhaar and PAN cards, and a forged BARC identity card. Some of the IDs bore aliases such as Ali Raza Hussain and Alexander Palmer.

His brother, Adil, was arrested in Delhi. The Mumbai Crime Branch believes the duo began receiving foreign funds in 1995, initially in small amounts and later in millions after 2000.

Investigators suspect the money came from multiple countries in exchange for what the brothers claimed were classified blueprints of BARC and other nuclear facilities.

The Free Press Journal reported that Akhtar allegedly provided images to his contacts abroad, claiming they were of an Iranian nuclear site, for which he received large payments.

However, when US agencies later verified the photographs, they turned out to be from a tourist location.

Police have traced a private bank account in Akhtar’s name showing suspicious international transactions. A senior Crime Branch officer said investigators have formally sought detailed records from the bank and are retrieving data from several closed accounts to establish a full money trail.

According to NDTV, Akhtar had been using fake identities for years. In 2004, he was deported from a Gulf country after claiming to be a scientist “in possession of classified documents.” He sold his ancestral house in Jharkhand in 1996 but continued to use its address to obtain fraudulent documents.

Investigators found that Adil introduced Akhtar to a Jharkhand resident, Munazir Khan, who created multiple forged identity cards and passports. The fake travel documents carried names such as Hussaini Mohammad Adil and Nasimuddin Syed Adil Hussaini.

Police said both brothers travelled frequently across India under different identities. The Mumbai Crime Branch is now coordinating with the Delhi Police Special Cell to interrogate the pair and verify the network of forged documents, funding channels, and contacts uncovered so far.