The Delhi Police has arrested a father son duo for duping a Delhi-based businessman of Rs 1.43 crore, on pretext of investing in research for
non- existent “rice puller metal required by space agencies”. They claimed that they have bagged a NASA project and promised high returns from the investment. Police have recovered a pair of space suit that the conmen had claimed to have got from National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO)
“In May, one Narender, a businessman engaged in garment exports approached the Crime Branch that he had been cheated by Virender Mohan Brar, Baba Brar and others. The accused claimed to be testing a Rice Puller, aka 'RP', a brass plate apparently charged by thunderbolt and required by NASA Administration/DRDO for space research”, said Alok Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).
The complainant alleged that few years ago he came in contact with one person who told him about huge profits in dealing in Rice Puller. The victim met Virender Mohan Brar, managing director of a company, who told him that his company could arrange the sale of 'RP' to NASA at a price of around Rs 37,500 crore after testing its genuineness, which would be done by scientists of DRDO and some chemicals would be imported for it, the police said. The victim was told that if he invested money for the testing, he could earn handsome amount, Kumar said.
Virender also told the complainant that they would pay Rs 10 crore immediately on the spot as token money if the test was found OK. After that, the victim entered into an MoU with Virender Mohan Brar and paid Rs 87.2 lakh for arranging special anti-radiation suits to be worn by scientists during testing, fees of scientist, for obtaining chemicals required for testing etc.
The testing of the RP was scheduled in Hapur but could not happen as the accused persons made an excuse that the place was not conducive and after that the said testing was delayed by them on one or another pretext.
At the same time, the other associates of the alleged seller of 'RP' mounted pressure on the victim for finalisation of deal or they would sell it to some other person and took him to another company having its office at East of Kailash and convinced him that he would not be cheated this time, the Joint CP said.
After that the complainant again entered into an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the company and again paid Rs 51.1 lakh on different occasions for the testing of 'RP' which was scheduled in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. But at that time, the testing was not conducted by the accused persons stating that the sky was not clear.
later on, the victim came to know that the said 'scientist' is working with the accused persons for a salary of Rs 20,000 only. He further came to know that he had been cheated and the so-called scientists are members of the racket, the police said.
Subsequently, Virender Mohan Brar and his son Nitin Mohan, alias Baba Brar, were arrested. During investigation, the 'RP' copper plate, anti radiation scientist suits of NASA and anti-radiation chemical stickers were recovered from the possession of the accused, the Joint CP added.
Rice Puller is a non-existent thing, but cheats take a copper plate or utensil and coat it with liquid magnet and then fill some boiled rice with small iron wires and befool the victim by pulling the rice grain towards the magnet coated copper article, said the Joint CP.
The cheats used to befool the victim by saying that the object is a rare piece of copper, which is struck by thunderbolt in the hills of Uttarakhand giving it power to pull rice and is being used by NASA/DRDO advanced space research.