Fake BARC Scientist Case: Mumbai CIU Nabs Jharkhand Man for Forging Educational Certificates

The Mumbai Crime Branch’s Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) has arrested a 34-year-old cyber café owner from Jharkhand for allegedly helping a man who posed as a Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) scientist by creating forged documents.

The accused, identified as Monazir Khan, is believed to have prepared fake educational certificates and identity documents for Akhtar Hussain Qutubuddin Ahmad (60), who was earlier arrested for impersonating a BARC scientist and travelling to several countries under the name “Alexander Palmer.”

According to officials, Khan was responsible for producing forged records, including Ahmad’s passports and other fake documents seized during the investigation.

Two-Decade Deception Uncovered

The ongoing investigation has revealed that Ahmad had completely changed his identity almost 20 years ago. Senior officials from the CIU and central intelligence agencies said that he lived as “Alexander Palmer,” maintaining multiple fake identities supported by fabricated educational and professional records.

Ahmad allegedly ran a sophisticated racket involving forged academic degrees, fake employment histories and three Indian passports, all issued under his false name.

A recent search at his residence in Versova led to the recovery of documents related to a so-called “nuclear bomb project” and several sensitive blueprints. Investigators have now found evidence confirming his complete identity change.

International Travel and Espionage Suspicions

Authorities discovered that Ahmad used the fake identity to travel abroad multiple times. His ability to undertake international travel using three valid passports under the same alias has raised serious suspicions of possible espionage or attempts to sell sensitive information — concerns that were earlier flagged after the seizure of nuclear-related material from his home.

Investigators from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) have expressed shock over the scale and sophistication of the fraud, which spanned over two decades.

Fabricated Academic and Professional Records

The fake documents recovered from Ahmad include mark sheets from the Bihar School Examination Board (Patna), a B.Sc. degree from Ranchi University, and additional B.E. (Mechanical Engineering) and MBA (Sales & Marketing) degrees from the Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela.

Investigators also seized forged experience letters and an identity card showing “Alexander Palmer” as a Senior Safety Manager with a private firm.

Nationwide Probe into Fake Credentials

Officials have now launched a nationwide investigation to trace Ahmad’s movements and activities carried out under his false identity. They also recovered fake Aadhaar, PAN, and driving licences, exposing major loopholes in India’s identity verification system that allowed him to operate undetected for years.

In a startling discovery, police found three valid Indian passports, all issued in the name “Alexander Palmer” with the same address in Jawaharnagar, Jamshedpur. Central agencies are now investigating how Ahmad managed to secure multiple passports using identical fraudulent details.

History of Suspicion

Investigators revealed that Ahmad had first come under the radar in 2004, when he was reportedly deported from Dubai for allegedly attempting to sell “Indian nuclear secrets” to Arab diplomats.

Two decades later, despite his controversial past and ongoing cases — including one under the Official Secrets Act and charges of waging war against the government in Meerut — Ahmad managed to reinvent himself completely and obtain official documents under a false identity.