West Arctic? Never heard of it: Man sets up sham Embassy in upscale GZB lane

Ghaziabad: Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) police have arrested a man for allegedly running a fake micronation embassy from a rented bungalow in Kavinagar area of Ghaziabad, said police on Wednesday.

According to police, the arrested accused was identified as Harshvardhan Jain. Police said that the accused had formed an embassy in the name “West Arctic Embassy” in a rented bungalow and claimed to be the Consul Ambassador of imaginary countries like West Arctic, Saborga, Pulavvia, and Lodonia.

During the raid, the STF recovered Rs 44.70 lakh in cash, four luxury vehicles with fake diplomatic number plates, 34 fake seals of different countries and companies, and documents carrying the forged seal of the Ministry of External Affairs. Officials also found fake PAN cards, press cards, 12 so-called diplomatic passports from micronation-type entities, and currency from several countries. Harshvardhan had even put up national flags outside his house to make it look like a real embassy.

STF SSP Sushil Ghule said that Harshvardhan used morphed photographs with top leaders, including the Prime Minister and the President, to impress and mislead people. “His main business was cheating people and companies by promising them jobs and work opportunities abroad. He also operated hawala transactions through shell companies,” the SSP said.

“During interrogation, Harshvardhan claimed he was 47 years old, had done an MBA from London. His father owned a rolling mill and marble mines in Rajasthan. In 2000, he said he met controversial godman Chandraswami, who introduced him to arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. Through these contacts, he began setting up companies abroad, mainly in London and Dubai, which he used for illegal brokerage work,” added Ghule.

In 2011, he was caught with a satellite phone in Ghaziabad, which led to questioning by central agencies. Although he was not found guilty of any anti-national activity, a case was filed against him. He later claimed to have been appointed as an honorary ambassador by fake or micronation countries and used those titles for fraud.

This fake embassy operated in one of the most secure areas in Ghaziabad, near the homes of senior officials, making the case even more alarming. Investigations are ongoing.