The Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 34-year-old cyber cafe owner from Jharkhand for allegedly assisting a man who travelled to various countries posing as a Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) scientist.

The accused, identified as Munazzil Khan, allegedly helped 55-year-old Akhtar Hussain Qutubuddin Ahmed prepare forged educational certificates. Police said Khan runs a cyber cafe that was used for generating and altering digital documents.

Investigators also informed that Ahmed, who went by the alias Alexander Palmer, had used two advanced virtual private networks (VPNs) to conceal his digital footprint while fabricating fake documents.

“Our technical probe revealed that Ahmed was operating through two high-level virtual networks. The forged educational documents were created using devices linked to Khan’s cyber cafe,” said an officer.

During Ahmed’s arrest, the police allegedly recovered classified-looking material, including 14 maps and data related to nuclear bombs. Officers, however, clarified that the authenticity of these documents is under verification.

Ahmed was earlier caught in Mumbai carrying a fake BARC identity card, which he allegedly used to gain credibility and restricted access.

Based on digital leads, the CIU traced his communication trail to Jharkhand and arrested Khan, who has been brought to Mumbai for questioning.

Source