A private instructor was detained here on Tuesday, according to police officials, after it was claimed that he had pretended to be a scientist with the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and given interviews to the media in Surat, where he claimed to have constructed the lander module for the Chandrayaan-3 moon project.
According to them, the accused, Mitul Trivedi, who is in his late 30s, pretended to be an Isro scientist to entice more pupils to his tuition classes in Surat.
An official added that Trivedi was the subject of a complaint when he was spotted giving interviews to the local media after the Vikram lander successfully conducted a soft landing on the moon on August 23 and claimed to have designed the module of Chandrayaan-3.
In order to prove his credentials, Trivedi allegedly pretended to be the "assistant chairman" of Isro's "Ancient Science Application department" and even presented a phony employment letter dated February 26, 2022, according to him.
According to a statement from the police, "a thorough investigation revealed that the man was in no way connected to Isro's Chandrayaan-3 mission and had made false claims to being an Isro employee."
He even displayed a phony letter claiming to be the "space research member" for Isro's upcoming "mercury force in space" project.
Despite not having contributed to the ambitious initiative, he distributed false information about the Isro, hurting the reputation of the organization with its headquarters in Bengaluru, the statement said.
According to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Surat city crime branch filed an 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).
Trivedi is a private teacher who pretended to be an Isro scientist in front of the media, according to Additional Commissioner of Police Sharad Singhal, in order to draw more pupils to his tuition courses.
"We contacted the Isro, which stated that the letter presented by the accused was not, at least initially, issued by it. Soon, the space agency would deliver a thorough response, he promised.
Singhal responded that the accused offers tuition classes and that claiming to be a scientist would have helped him draw in more pupils when asked why he pretended to be one.
