Fake BARC scientist tried to sell nuclear 'plans' to Iranian firms, sources say

The accused, identified as Akhtar Hussaini Qutbuddin Ahmed, and his 59-year-old brother, Adil Hussaini—also arrested—were reportedly trying to market a purported design for a lithium-6 reactor using VPNs and encrypted communication channels.

Investigators revealed that the duo had travelled to Tehran in March and April this year and had visited Iranian embassies in India and Dubai multiple times.

In a further deception, the brothers allegedly duped an Iranian diplomat based in Mumbai by posing as senior BARC scientists, sharing fabricated technical details and reactor blueprints as part of the fraud.

Their activities were carried out under the pretext of international “research partnerships,” officials said.

False claims of a 'fusion breakthrough'

Lithium-6 reactors are linked to experimental fusion energy, using molten lithium to extract heat and generate tritium fuel.

The accused allegedly told Iranian companies that they had successfully developed a lithium-6-based fusion reactor prototype capable of controlling plasma temperatures.

They also claimed to have tested a separate lithium-7 reactor that failed due to “plasma heating issues.”

However, scientists assisting in the investigation dismissed these assertions, clarifying that the supposed prototype existed only in theory with no scientific proof of functionality.

They also confirmed that lithium-7 cannot be used in any fusion process.

Investigators said the brothers used technical jargon—drawing on fields such as reactor physics, isotope chemistry, and plasma dynamics—to mislead officials.

“Experts in plasma physics and nuclear engineering were brought in to decode the technical aspects of their claims,” a source explained.

Akhtar, a resident of Jamshedpur, was arrested in Mumbai, while his brother was taken into custody in Delhi.

Police seized over ten maps and data files allegedly linked to nuclear weapons from Akhtar’s possession, along with several fake passports, Aadhaar and PAN cards, and a forged BARC identity card.

The IDs listed aliases, including “Ali Raza Hussain” and “Alexander Palmer.”

According to police records, the brothers have been receiving foreign funds since 1995.

Initially, the payments amounted to several lakhs, but after 2000, the sums reportedly increased to crores.

Authorities suspect that these funds may have been payments for confidential blueprints and information related to BARC and other Indian nuclear facilities.