Virender Mohan Brar (right) and his son Nitin had started off by selling magic mirrors etc, and progressed to ... Read More

NEW DELHI: A father and son, who earlier ran a motor workshop , was arrested by the crime branch for duping several businessmen of crores on the pretext of selling them ‘ rice pullers ’ that could eventually be sold off to space agencies like Nasa .

Joint commissioner (crime) Alok Kumar confirmed the arrests of Virender Mohan Brar (56) and his son Nitin (30), adding that they are conducting raids to arrest others involved in the crime.

The accused had started off by selling magic mirrors, dual headed snakes, Nagmani, etc, and progressed to their latest modus operandi of selling copper iridium metal that could attract many things, including rice. Earlier, they moved around on a bike, but of late, travelled in an Audi to lure buyers.

DCP (crime) Bhisham Singh said the two would take turns to wear self-stitched space and anti-radiation suits to pose as Nasa scientists and test the authenticity of the ‘rice puller’ during the deals with the victims.

Last week, TOI had reported about two incidents where they cheated two south Delhi businessmen of Rs 1.43 crore and Rs 39 lakh, respectively. The businessmen were told that Nasa would buy it for Rs 37,500 crore. The matter was reported by one of the victims, Jaheed Ali (36), who told police that the accused posed as representatives of an American firm ‘Rehan Metal USA’, which had opened a branch in Karol Bagh. He sold off one of the floors of his building to arrange for the money. After receiving the amount, the gang, which offered him a discount on the machine, soon shut office and disappeared.

Simultaneously, another businessman from Lajpat Nagar, who had lost around Rs 1.43 crore, also reported the matter. He was cheated twice by the accused who also made him sign an MoU.

“The gang was organised. While one posed as a seller, another posed as a potential buyer and tried to compete with the victim to inflate the prices. The crooks told victims that the metal possessed enormous atomic power that could attract rare earth metals from the spot where a thunderbolt strikes the earth,” DCP Singh said.

Apart from their suits and the Audi, police have recovered a laptop, printer, blank letter heads of a foreign country, cheque books and fake ID cards of Rehan Metals.

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