Alappuzha: A Haripad resident was cheated of ₹75 lakh in a fraud involving Iridium, where the culprits used a name resembling Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the American space agency NASA. He was persuaded to believe that Iridium would be bought from NASA and resold for large profits.

The money was collected under the guise of trading Iridium through an agency called ‘Ultra SpaceX’. After realising he had been misled, the victim lodged a complaint with the district police chief, prompting an investigation by the Haripad police inspector.

The Haripad native was initially approached by a local acquaintance who invited him to join the Iridium business as a partner. He was reluctant at first, but he eventually agreed due to repeated persuasion. To reinforce the claim, the acquaintance introduced a petrol pump owner from Kollam and a woman from Ooruttambalam in Thiruvananthapuram, stating that both were already engaged in the same business. He then paid ₹8 lakh. Over time, he provided a total of ₹48,20,000 in several instalments.

As the petrol pump owner had other financial dealings, he clarified that the business was being handled by the woman’s son, daughter and son-in-law from Ooruttambalam.

When the complainant failed to receive any Iridium despite paying such a large amount, he confronted those who had taken the money. The fraudsters told him the funds he had already paid had been lost and insisted that if he provided another ₹25 lakh, his entire amount would be returned within ten days. He took a loan and paid the amount.

When he approached them again, they claimed they did not have the money. The complainant said that giving him cheques would be enough. Two cheques were issued to him with a promise that the repayment would be completed by October 20.

After October 20, he again visited the homes and workplaces of those involved. They handed over cheques worth ₹18 lakh and ₹10 lakh, but both bounced due to insufficient funds.

Police suspect that the same group may have carried out a similar scam in Oachira. The Haripad resident was also given a letter purportedly from the “NASA Ultra X Agency” requesting Iridium supply from the United States, along with photographs of Iridium and the device used to verify it. He handed these materials over to the police.