India’s national security system was shaken when the Mumbai Police Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), working together with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), arrested a 55-year-old man who had allegedly been posing as a scientist from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

The man, identified as Akhtar Hussain Qutubuddin Ahmed, was picked up from his residence in Versova on Friday and has been remanded in police custody until October 24, officials confirmed. According to investigators, Akhtar had travelled to several countries using false names, presenting himself either as a senior nuclear scientist or as an intelligence operative — identities he had built carefully over the years.

During a detailed raid at his home, officers seized 14 highly sensitive blueprints and documents connected to nuclear bomb design, along with forged identity cards and multiple digital storage devices. All seized materials have now been sent to a forensic laboratory for detailed examination.

Further checks revealed that Akhtar Hussain Qutubuddin Ahmed was out on bail in another criminal case registered at Kankarkheda Police Station, Meerut (Uttar Pradesh). That case accused him of waging war against the government, spreading hatred and dissatisfaction toward the State, and violating provisions of the Official Secrets Act.

According to officials, Ahmed had already been under the watch of intelligence agencies since 2004, when he was deported from Dubai after being detained for allegedly trying to sell “Indian nuclear secrets” to Arab diplomats.

When police searched his apartment, they discovered two forged BARC identity cards — one issued in the name of “Alexander Palmer” and another as “Ali Raza Hussain.” Both bore Ahmed’s photograph. “Given his past, it was impossible for him to travel abroad under his real name, so he simply made new ones,” an officer said.

Investigators also found that some of the recovered blueprints had been printed at a local shop in Andheri, which raised concern about possible accomplices. From his flat, police confiscated fake passports, Aadhaar and PAN cards, driving licences, several mobile phones, and pen drives.

Senior officials described Ahmed’s life story as unbelievable, saying his résumé “appears more fiction than fact.” They added that he showed a deep fascination with physics, nuclear science, and espionage, and would often introduce himself as a secret agent or atomic researcher. “He likes the idea of being a man with secrets,” said one investigator. “Unfortunately, the only secret he’s keeping now is how he managed to get those BARC IDs.”

Authorities also confirmed that Ahmed once worked for oil and marketing firms in the Gulf before being deported from Dubai in 2004 for attempting to sell sensitive information about India. However, earlier investigations by Indian intelligence and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) could not find concrete proof against him then. Ahmed had claimed that he was “fixed by an army officer after a business dispute.”

In his latest scheme, police believe Ahmed used his fake scientist identity to contact foreign nationals and extract money by pretending to share classified material. A senior officer described him as “a smooth-talking conman who may never have entered any real high-security zone but managed to make others believe he could.”

According to reports first published by Mid-Day, Ahmed’s arrest followed a joint operation by the NIA, IB, and Mumbai Crime Branch. Technical experts from these agencies are now assessing the nature and sensitivity of the documents, some of which were printed locally in Andheri.

Sources confirmed that Ahmed also held a fake BARC identity card in the name of ‘Ali Raza Hoseini’, again carrying his photograph. Investigators are checking how many times he may have entered the BARC campus or taken photographs inside using the forged card. The fake ID was reportedly almost identical to real BARC cards, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine and fake versions.

Ahmed is currently being interrogated by multiple teams stationed at the Mumbai Police Commissioner’s office and remains in Crime Branch custody. “The present matter is of a very serious nature, and the accused has been found committing the same type of offence again. Therefore, a thorough investigation of the accused is necessary,” said a Crime Branch official.

The Mumbai Crime Branch, together with central agencies like the NIA and IB, is now investigating whether Akhtar Hussain had links to foreign intelligence networks or terror organisations, and whether any classified nuclear or defence data was leaked.

This alarming episode has again raised serious questions about security protocols and identity verification at India’s top scientific and nuclear institutes, highlighting the need for stricter monitoring and digital verification systems to prevent such impersonation attempts in the future.