A bizarre and elaborate fraud was exposed in Ghaziabad when Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a 47 years old man named Harshvardhan Jain for operating a bogus embassy from a rented property in the Kavi Nagar area. He had been posing as a representative of so-called ‘micronations’, unrecognised self-declared states like Westarctica, Seborga, Ladonia and an entirely fictitious entity named Poulvia.
The arrest followed multiple intelligence inputs and tip-offs received by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), which led to a raid on Harshvardhan Jain’s makeshift consulate. Authorities found that he had converted his upscale office into what he portrayed as a diplomatic mission, complete with national flags of the micronations and four luxury vehicles outfitted with fake diplomatic registration plates. Among the seized vehicles were high-end models including an Audi and a Mercedes-Benz.
Police recovered ₹44.7 lakh in Indian currency along with foreign currency amounting to approximately ₹30 lakh in exchange value. The raid also yielded a trove of suspicious materials including 20 forged VIP registration plates, 12 fake passports, two PAN cards, 34 forged stamps from various countries, 12 premium watches, a laptop, a mobile phone and numerous counterfeit documents.
Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order), Amitabh Yash, revealed that Harshvardhan Jain had been running this fraudulent operation under the guise of being an “ambassador” of Westarctica, a micronation that claims a portion of western Antarctica, and which holds no recognition from any country or international body. He had also claimed appointments as an honorary consul by Seborga in 2012 and by Westarctica in 2016, despite no legal or diplomatic basis for such roles.
The deception was sophisticated enough to fool several individuals, especially businessmen. According to Additional Superintendent of Police (Noida STF), Raj Kumar Mishra, Harshvardhan Jain admitted during interrogation that the fake embassy was a front for duping entrepreneurs and conducting illegal financial activities, including hawala transactions. When questioned about the diplomatic symbols, flags and registrations, Harshvardhan Jain confessed to orchestrating the entire set-up for personal gain.
The suspect had been running the sham consulate since 2016, initially operating from his father’s residence at KB-45. Around five months ago, he shifted with his wife and minor son to a new address, KB-35, paying a staggering ₹1.8 lakh per month in rent, while his father remained at the earlier location.
Following his arrest, Harshvardhan Jain was presented before a court and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. The First Information Report, filed by sub-inspector Sachin Kumar of the UP-STF, noted that the suspect frequently travelled in vehicles displaying fake diplomatic credentials and had duped several people by posing as an ambassador.
The FIR also revealed that senior STF officials had been alerted by central intelligence agencies. Upon verification, these agencies confirmed that such diplomatic missions cannot exist without clearance from India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The entire operation was declared illegal and deemed a direct violation of India’s sovereignty.
As investigations continue, the case has drawn attention to the lengths some fraudsters go in creating convincing facades of power and legitimacy — raising questions about due diligence in recognising diplomatic status and the ease with which con artists exploit such gaps.
