"Vikram lander was designed by me": Man arrested for claiming to be ISRO scientist

Digital Desk: The Surat Crime Branch apprehended a man on Tuesday for allegedly impersonating a scientist associated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and falsely claiming to have designed the lander module for the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission. The accused, identified as Mitul Trivedi (51), who runs coaching classes, was taken into custody following a complaint lodged by Dharmesh Gami, the president of Bhartiya Gauraksha Manch Surat, on August 25. Gami's complaint revealed Trivedi's audacious act of pretending to be an ISRO scientist and taking credit for the successful moon landing on August 23.

Trivedi, a resident of Paal in Surat, created a stir when an audio clip of him asserting his involvement in designing the Vikram lander went viral on social media platforms. In the clip, he claimed to be the "assistant chairman" of ISRO's purported "Ancient Science Application department" and even produced a fabricated appointment letter dated February 26, 2022, to support his false claims. The letter stated his affiliation with ISRO's upcoming project, the "mercury force in space."

Local authorities soon launched an investigation into Trivedi's claims, and during questioning, he admitted to concocting the elaborate ruse for the purpose of gaining publicity. Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sharad Singhal of Surat city stated, "Mitul Trivedi had handed over a document claiming to be from ISRO… we sent the same to ISRO for verification and were informed that no such person works there."

Furthermore, Trivedi's confession revealed his motivation behind the impersonation. He aimed to leverage the false claims to enhance the enrollment of students in his tuition classes. Police are now working to determine the source of the fraudulent ISRO document and whether Trivedi used it for other purposes.

The Indian Space Research Organisation, renowned for its groundbreaking achievements in space exploration, denied any association with Trivedi and his alleged contributions to the Chandrayaan-3 mission. The incident has raised questions about the ease of fabricating official documents and the need for stricter verification processes.

Mitul Trivedi has been charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), Section 465 (punishment for forgery), Section 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and Section 471 (using a genuine forged document or electronic record).