India: Man arrested in Gujarat for faking to be scientist behind Chandrayaan-3 lander design

In Surat city of the Indian state of Gujarat, a man has been apprehended by the police for allegedly faking as a scientist affiliated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The man, identified as Mitul Trivedi, is accused of providing interviews to local media outlets where he falsely claimed to be the designer of the lander module for India's successful Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, PTI news agency said. This incident came to light after he gaveinterviews following the successful soft landing of the Vikram lander on August 23. Trivedi's assertions lead to a formal complaint against him.

Fabricated identity, documents

Mitul Trivedi purportedly faked as "assistant chairman" in ISRO's "Ancient Science Application department," going to the extent of presenting a counterfeit appointment letter dated February 26, 2022.

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He aimed to establish his association with ISRO by producing a fake document endorsing him as the "space research member" for the organisation's upcoming project called "mercury force in space." Trivedi's false claims and forged documents were aimed at lending credibility to his position as a significant contributor to ISRO's endeavours.

False claims

The man spread fraudulent messages about ISRO without any actual involvement in the Chandrayaan-3 mission or other projects.

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This deceptive behaviour not only misled the public but also caused harm to the institution's "reputation," police said in a statement. The dissemination of fake information undermined the credibility of ISRO and its genuine employees who have dedicated their efforts to groundbreaking space exploration projects.

Legal consequences

The Surat city crime branch filed a First Information Report (FIR) against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 419 for cheating through impersonation, Section 465 for forgery, Section 468 for forgery for the purpose of cheating, and Section 471 for using forged documents as genuine.

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The Vikram lander of India's Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission achieved a safe soft landing on the south pole of the Moon on August 23 evening at its scheduled time of 6:04 PM (Indian Standard Time). The Chandrayaan-3 space mission's historic success has made India the first country in the world to land a spacecraft on the Moon's south pole, and fourth country to land on the Moon overall.

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