Mumbai Man Arrested for Impersonating BARC Scientist and Selling Fake Nuclear Designs to Iranian Companies

Nov 05, 2025 05:36 pm CST

A 60-year-old man from Mumbai was arrested for posing as a scientist from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and attempting to sell fraudulent nuclear reactor designs to Iranian companies. Akhtar Hussaini Qutbuddin Ahmed and his brother used encrypted networks to market supposed lithium-6 reactor technology under the guise of scientific collaboration, deceiving diplomats with fake blueprints and receiving substantial international payments since 1995.