MUMBAI: Mumbai police find themselves confronted with a web of lies after the arrest of a 59-year-old “dead spy” in Delhi on Tuesday. The deceit came to light when the Delhi police arrested Adil Hussaini, brother of a Mumbai-based “secret agent”, who posed as a BARC scientist but is now in judicial custody.
The fake BARC scientist is Akthar Qutubuddin Hussaini alias Alexander Palmer, 60, a resident of Yari Road, Versova. The prime accused in a suspected spy racket, he was arrested by the Mumbai police on October 17.
Hussaini had been using forged identity cards of India’s premier nuclear facility, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). Police said two fake identity cards were recovered from him, once bearing the alias “Alexander Palmer” and the other “Ali Reza Hoseini”.
Hussaini had created a fake identity, complete with forged educational degrees, a fake passport, an Aadhaar card, and a PAN card. A colleague, Munazzir Nazimuddin Khan, 34, a resident of Jamshedpur, fabricated these as far back as 2016-17. Khan was arrested on October 25.
During interrogation, Hussaini had told the Mumbai police that his family was deceased, including his brother Adil Hussaini, who was arrested by the Delhi police on Tuesday.
“When the crime branch officers were questioning Hussaini, he told them his father Qutubuddin Hussaini, mother Noor Jahan Hussaini, and his brothers Asif, Arif and Adil Hussaini had died,” said a police officer.
According to Hussaini, Asif had died in Dammam in Saudi Arabia, Arif in Prayagraj, and Adil in Jamshedpur. This was also stated by Khan. And yet, the police special cell of the Delhi police picked up Adil on Sunday from his Seemapuri residence before formally arresting him on Tuesday.
Police said Adil, originally from Tata Nagar in Jharkhand, had been living in Delhi for several years and had made several trips to Pakistan and the Middle East.
Police investigating the case said they are looking for Mohammad Iliyaas Mohammad Ismail from Jamshedpur, who helped Khan prepare Hussaini’s forged documents.
“We have found several documents in the mobile extractions of the accused, which are being studied. These include maps and diagrams of vital installations. The accused have been using a software application to mask their IP,” said the police officer.
Police said they have written to the BARC and are awaiting a response.
Investigators said Hussaini was fascinated with physics and espionage, and enjoyed introducing himself as a secret agent or nuclear expert. They said he had worked in the Middle East, in oil and marketing firms, and had been deported from Dubai in 2004. At the time, Hussaini was accused of trying to sell “sensitive information” about India. However, inquiries by the police, central agencies and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) found nothing incriminating.
Hussaini used his fake scientist persona to meet foreign nationals, travel abroad, and allegedly take money while claiming to have access to confidential material. Maps and other suspicious documents have been recovered from him.
Meanwhile, Adil Hussaini has been charged with criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery. While espionage charges under the Official Secrets Act are yet to be invoked, Delhi police said the case is linked to the alleged fake passport and spying network already under investigation in Mumbai.