Man poses as Radiation Board scientist, cheats two firms of Rs 10 lakh

The accused cheated the two firms of Rs 10 lakh by giving them fake certificates on radioactive elements in their products. Representation pic

An imposter has been booked for posing as an assistant scientist with the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT) and issuing certificates to at least two private companies for screening a radioactive element in their products. APMC cops filed a case in the matter on February 2 following a complaint from BRIT. No arrest made yet.

The fraud came to light on September 13, 2021 after BRIT officials received a mail from the Atomic Energy Department through Bhabha Atomic Research Centre that they have come across a person named Y G Shekhar, a resident of Tamil Nadu, who claims to be an assistant scientist in BRIT and issues certificates to private companies for screening of Iridium, a radioactive element, in their products. BRIT officials immediately launched an investigation and approached the police with the report.

"The internal inquiry from BRIT concluded that there was no such person in the organisation and that Y G Shekhar was an imposter," said an officer from APMC police station. He added, "It was also found that the imposter has issued certificates to two companies in Tamil Nadu, generating invoices on June and October 2020, charging them Rs 5.30 lakh each."

"We have registered an offence against one Y G Shekhar. The companies who received the letters will be interrogated to know more about him," said Senior Inspector Manik Nalawade. APMC police have filed the case under sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc.), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged document as genuine) of the IPC.

What is BRIT

BRIT is an independent unit of the Department of Atomic Energy which provides products and services based on radiation and isotopes for applications in healthcare, agriculture, research and industry. The unit provides certificates to companies regarding radioactive content in their products.