Mumbai: A 60-year-old man, posing as a scientist from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), has been arrested for allegedly receiving crores in foreign funds in exchange for sensitive nuclear data, sources in the Mumbai Police Crime Branch said on Monday.
The accused, Akhtar Hussaini, a resident of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, was arrested last week while travelling across the country under a fake identity. Police recovered over 10 maps and documents allegedly related to nuclear weapons, along with multiple forged passports, Aadhaar and PAN cards, and a fake BARC ID.
Hussaini’s brother, Adil, was also arrested in Delhi. Police sources said the duo had been receiving foreign funding since 1995, which increased from lakhs to crores after the year 2000, possibly in exchange for classified blueprints of BARC and other nuclear facilities.
Investigators have found a private bank account under Hussaini’s name that showed suspicious transactions, and have sought full details to trace the money trail. Several old bank accounts linked to the brothers were also closed in recent years.
Authorities suspect the two visited Pakistan and may have links to the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence).
Records show Akhtar was deported from Dubai in 2004 after claiming to be a scientist with classified data. He is believed to have used fake documents and aliases—including “Ali Raza Hussain” and “Alexander Palmer”—to travel abroad and conduct operations.
The Mumbai Police are now coordinating with central intelligence agencies to verify the foreign funding sources and espionage links.