Gujarat Man Falsely Claims To Be ISRO Scientist Who Designed Chandrayaan-3's Lander Module, Arrested

Mitul Trivedi, allegedly gave interviews to local media outlets, falsely asserting his role in designing the lander module for the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission.

Representative Image | The accused, Mitul Trivedi, after he appeared in interviews with local media, proclaiming his involvement in the Chandrayaan-3 project.

Source : Getty Images

Police authorities in Gujarat's Surat city have arrested an individual accused of impersonating a scientist associated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The suspect, Mitul Trivedi, allegedly gave interviews to local media outlets, falsely asserting his role in designing the lander module for the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, according to an official cited by news agency PTI.

An official complaint was filed against Mitul Trivedi after he appeared in interviews with local media, proclaiming his involvement in the Chandrayaan-3 project, soon after the successful soft landing of the Vikram lander on August 24, PTI reported.

Trivedi purportedly presented himself as the "assistant chairman" of ISRO's "Ancient Science Application department" and even produced a counterfeit appointment letter dated February 26, 2022.

"Thorough investigation revealed that the man had no genuine connection with ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission and had fabricated false claims of being an ISRO employee," stated the police in an official communication, as quoted by PTI.

Furthermore, Trivedi produced a fictitious letter asserting his role as the "space research member" for ISRO's forthcoming venture named "mercury force in space."

By disseminating misleading information regarding ISRO, despite having no actual involvement in the ambitious project, Trivedi has tarnished the reputation of the institution, the statement added.

In response to the incident, the Surat city crime branch registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused under sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using forged document as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as per the official statement.

As for the Chandrayaan-3 mission, in a significant development, the Pragyan rover’s Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument confirmed the presence of sulphur on the Moon’s south pole.

The payload performed first-of-their-kind in-situ experiments to make the discovery. Other elements detected by LIBS on the lunar surface near the Moon’s south pole include aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a mission update.

More On It: Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan Rover Payload Confirms Presence Of Sulphur On Moon’s South Pole. Know More