Mumbai: The probe into the arrest of two individuals impersonating Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Scientists has taken a sudden international turn. During interrogation, the primary accused, Akhtar Hussaini Qutbuddin Ahmed (60), claimed that he had operated as a covert asset of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for over 25 years, under multiple assumed identities.
According to his recorded statement, Akhtar disclosed that he allegedly conducted a clandestine liaison with CIA-linked operatives in Abu Dhabi during 1991–92. Investigators familiar with the interrogation records stated that Akhtar told investigators that the meeting was arranged through intermediaries associated with a “Western energy-research consortium. To them, Akhtar posed as an Indian nuclear physicist specializing in atomic energy research, working on dual-use technologies with potential relevance to thermonuclear weapons development.
During this encounter, Akhtar claimed that he presented his proprietary PWR-based (Pressurized Water Reactor) fusion reactor prototype blueprint to the operative, who in turn offered him a “new deal.” The operative allegedly provided a deliberately altered reactor blueprint containing altered isotopic compositions and fusion-core configurations, and instructed Akhtar to share the altered design with Iranian scientific entities as his own work. Akhtar claimed that he was paid a substantial sum in U.S. dollars to execute the operation.
As per Akhtar’s further statement, the CIA allegedly targeted an Iranian diplomat stationed at the Abu Dhabi embassy, believed to be operating under official cover for Iran’s security apparatus. The diplomat was reportedly compromised through a calibrated honey-trap operation by the CIA, which, according to Akhtar, enabled the agency to extract classified intelligence on Iran’s uranium-enrichment programme, reactor-grade material procurement networks, and associated nuclear research infrastructure.
Following this, Akhtar was reportedly tasked by the CIA to establish and maintain controlled contact with the compromised diplomat, facilitating indirect outreach to Iran‑based research panels affiliated with Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI). Under this coordinated arrangement, Akhtar claimed to have travelled to Tehran, where he engaged with Iranian nuclear researchers and presented the PWR-fusion reactor prototype design blueprint for technical review. During these scientific exchanges, however, Akhtar was unable to substantiate the theoretical segment concerning isotopic chemical equilibrium and plasma-stabilization sequences within the modified reactor framework. The inconsistencies in his explanations exposed structural and computational flaws, causing the operation to collapse prematurely.
Following his exfiltration to Abu Dhabi, Akhtar claimed that the CIA inducted him into a long-term Iran-centric infiltration grid, designed to cultivate deep-cover assets for prospective deployment within Iran’s nuclear and defence research ecosystem. Officials, while classifying the programme as sensitive, stated that while acknowledging the sensitivity of the disclosures, maintain a calibrated scepticism, noting that the accused’s narrative, though detailed, may include elements of fabrication or psychological conditioning.
According to Akhtar’s recorded statement, following his induction into the CIA’s operational program, he continued to maintain covert communication channels and undertook multiple visits to the Iranian embassies in Delhi and Mumbai, as well as other diplomatic and research-linked facilities considered sensitive by security agencies. He reportedly remained in periodic contact with several diplomats and intelligence intermediaries, both Iranian and foreign, under the guise of scientific collaboration.
Akhtar further claimed that he frequently travelled to Dubai, between 1992 to 1998 where he held follow-up meetings with CIA operatives before being dispatched, under agency directives, to Iran along with a designated handler. His stated objective was to obtain intelligence on Iran’s nuclear development roadmap and to introduce a deliberately modified reactor blueprint designed to misdirect Iranian nuclear research entities. He allegedly received substantial payments for these assignments, which were channeled through Iran-based intermediaries and CIA-linked financial conduits.
Akhtar claimed that during his intermittent visits to Iran, he was relocated under a CIA‑supervised technical cover project in iran, where he operated within a dual‑layered intelligence framework, one focused on tracking regional nuclear‑material trafficking networks, and another on mapping collaborative exchanges between Middle Eastern research institutions and Iranian defence‑linked scientists. He alleged that, under this assignment, he coordinated with U.S. field assets to compile technical intelligence dossiers detailing uranium procurement, reactor‑grade isotropic material flow, and the movement of research personnel across Iraq, Syria, and Iran.
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