Father-son duo who duped people with space suits held
New Delhi, May 9: A father and son, who claimed that they were preparing equipment to sell to NASA for Rs 37,500 crore, have been arrested by Delhi Police — after a businessman complained that he had been duped of Rs 1.43 crore by them.
The accused would tell investors that they were building a device called the ‘rice puller’, which could be used to generate “electricity from thunderbolts”, and that they would sell it to NASA via the DRDO once it was ready.
Police said that they had duped at least 30 people from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. JCP (Crime Branch) Alok Kumar identified the arrested accused as Virender Mohan Brar (56) and his son Nitin Mohan Brar (30).
Police said they had recovered what the accused claimed were “copper plates, anti-radiation suits, anti-radiation chemical stickers” as well as a laptop, printer, foreign cheque books, fake ID cards and an Audi car from their possession.
“A few years ago, the complainant, Narender Saini, met Virender, who told him his company would sell the ‘rice puller’ to NASA after building it. He said he needed seed money for this purpose,” JCP Kumar said.
Police said Virender told Saini that he would be paid Rs 10 crore as soon as tests for the equipment were successful. “Saini entered into an MoU with Virender and paid Rs 87.2 lakh for ‘anti-radiation suits’, which the accused said would be worn by scientists during testing. They said tests were scheduled in Hapur, but could not be held as the place was ‘not conducive’. They also took him to an office in East of Kailash to convince him that he was not being conned,” he said.
The accused also “roped in fake actors posing as DRDO officials, after giving them a salary of Rs 20,000, just to convince Saini about the authenticity of the equipment,” DCP Bhisham Singh said, adding that the father-son duo were also arrested, and released on bail, earlier.
“They were earlier arrested when they allegedly sold snakes in Dehradun for Rs 17 lakh by claiming that the reptiles were rare and had medicinal properties. They were also arrested from Kurukshetra in a separate case, but resumed duping people once they came out,” an official said.
Police said they stayed in the posh Meera Bagh area at a rent of Rs 60,000 per month. “They travelled in luxury cars with two personal security officers who carried weapons, at a salary of Rs 35,000. They wore branded clothes and sported expensive watches. With their confidence and fluent English, most people would not suspect them,” an officer said, adding that they ran seven offices in Delhi.
“Virender ran a motor workshop in the 1990s and Nitin assisted him. But they faced financial losses and started duping people on the pretext of selling rare and antique objects such as magic mirror, rice puller and two-headed snakes,” Kumar said. “The arrest was made by a team of inspector Sunil Jain and ACP Aditya Gautam.”
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Modi agreed to caste census out of fear: Rahul Gandhi
Darbhanga (Bihar) (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to hold a caste census "out of fear" of the country's deprived population, to which the opposition was lending its voice.
The leader of the opposition made the remark at a charged-up interaction with students in Darbhanga district of Bihar, where he defied attempts of the local administration to thwart him from reaching the venue.
"As you all are aware, my car was stopped at the gate (of Mithila University). But I did not relent. I got out and took a circuitous route to reach here on foot," said the Rae Bareli MP, who launched 'Shiksha Nyay Samvad', a public interaction programme in Bihar where assembly polls are due later this year.
Gandhi was speaking at the varsity's Ambedkar Hostel, where permission for holding the event had been denied by the administration, evoking outrage from the Congress which rejected the suggestion that the programme be held at an alternative venue.
The former Congress president said, "Do you realise why the government in Bihar could not stop me? It was because I am propelled by the vast pool of energy that you embody. It is the same energy before which Narendra Modi had to bow."
"We told Modi you shall touch the Constitution with your head and he ended up doing so. We had also told him you will have to hold a caste census. On both occasions, Modi acceded to the demands out of fear of a backlash from you people," Gandhi claimed.
"But the fact remains that his government serves the interests of Ambani, Adani and their ilk. The system is working for the benefit of five per cent of the population. Dalits, OBCs and tribals have no say, be it in the government, the corporate world or even the media," he alleged.
He urged the youngsters to not get distracted and remain focused on three demands -- an effective caste census on the lines of the survey conducted in (Congress-ruled) Telangana, reservations in private colleges and universities and release of funds allocated to the sub-plan for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
"You can expect little from the NDA. But rest assured that your interests will be taken care of when we come to power, be it in Bihar or at the Centre," he added.
Donning his trademark white polo T-shirt and cargo pants, Gandhi spoke into a hand-held mic and the crowds erupted in chants of 'Jai Bhim' when, towards the end of his speech, he held aloft a portrait of Dr B R Ambedkar.
He also sought to strike a chord with the audience by making one of the attendees, who identified himself as a hosteller hailing from a poor family of daily wage earners, voice his sentiments.
The youngster urged the leader of the opposition to raise in Parliament the issue of discrimination against students from the backward classes and inadequate representation of the underdogs in the media.
"Thanks for sharing your views. Say my namaste to your parents and siblings when you go home," said Gandhi, as he bade goodbye to the student.
