Surat Man Goes Missing after claiming involvement in Chandrayaan-3 design

Surat: In a twist to the story of Mitul Trivedi, a Surat resident who had previously made false claims of designing the Chandrayaan-3 lander, is now on the run.

Trivedi's residence is reportedly locked, and his phone remains switched off, adding to the intrigue surrounding his claims.

The ongoing investigation into Trivedi's claims has now been handed over to the Surat crime branch of the police. Authorities have indicated that while Trivedi's claims are largely harmless, they highlight his propensity to make exaggerated statements.

The investigation into Trivedi's assertions was handed over to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Hetal Patel. Despite reaching the city police commissioner's office, Trivedi was unable to provide any documentation substantiating his alleged association with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Trivedi had garnered attention after the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission by making claims about his involvement. He asserted that his design of the lander included a unique feature preventing the scattering of dust upon landing, contrary to conventional landers. He also maintained that he had affiliations with ISRO since 2011 and NASA since 2013.

He even went so far as to claim a role in NASA's 2024 lunar human mission and ISRO's Aditya L1 and Gaganyaan Mission design projects.

Trivedi's purported academic accomplishments included BSc and MSc in Physics, and studies in Quantum Physics at Cambridge University, and Anthropology and Vedant at Oxford University for his Ph.D. He also claimed membership with the Archaeological Survey of India and the ability to read 45 ancient languages.

Trivedi's prominence grew when an audio clip of him speaking to his teacher, Arjun Patel, went viral. Earlier, Trivedi had made a claim about the existence of a golden city named Dwarika in the sea near Olpad in South Gujarat.