Impostor Tutor Arrested for Posing as ISRO Scientist in Chandrayaan-3 Fraud

The police apprehended Mitul Trivedi, a private tutor in his late 30s, on allegations of assuming the identity of a scientist affiliated with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Trivedi, who purportedly presented himself as a key figure in the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission, falsely granted media interviews in Surat. These deceitful actions were undertaken to attract more students to his tuition classes in the city of Surat, Gujarat.

The arrest followed a formal complaint filed against Trivedi for his appearances in local media interviews. During these sessions, he brazenly asserted that he had designed the module for Chandrayaan-3, leveraging the recent success of the Vikram lander’s soft touch down on the lunar surface on August 23.

According to official sources, Trivedi masqueraded as the “assistant chairman” of ISRO’s “Ancient Science Application department.” To bolster his claims, he even produced a counterfeit appointment letter dated February 26, 2022. However, upon meticulous investigation, law enforcement uncovered that Trivedi had no actual association with ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 initiative. Furthermore, he forged a letter that named him the “space research member” for an ISRO project titled “Mercury Force in Space.”

In his misguided efforts to spread misinformation, Trivedi disseminated false messages about ISRO, causing reputational damage to the esteemed institution headquartered in Bengaluru. Authorities stressed that his actions were detrimental, as he falsely laid claim to contributions, he had never made to the ambitious space project.