Fake embassy of ‘Westarctica’ busted in Ghaziabad: Man posed as ambassador in diplomatic scam
Srinagar, July 23: In lane of Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar, the presence of high-end luxury cars with diplomatic number plates often caught the attention of curious residents. On Monday, the Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force (STF) from Noida raided the property and arrested Harsh Vardhan Jain, a 45-year-old man who had transformed the rented house at KB-35 into what he claimed was the official embassy of "Westarctica" — a self-declared and unrecognised micronation located in Antarctica.
According to an Indian Express report Jain, posing as an “ambassador,” had been running a sophisticated fraud scheme by fabricating documents, forging international affiliations, and offering promises of global diplomatic deals. He didn't stop at Westarctica — he also falsely claimed to be a diplomatic representative of other obscure or entirely fictional micronations such as Seborga, Ladonia, and Poulvia. These micronations, often known only to niche internet communities, were presented by Jain as legitimate states with which he claimed to foster ties and secure appointments.
As per reports the police also seized four vehicles with diplomatic number plates, 18 additional fake diplomatic plates, 12 forged diplomatic passports, forged documents bearing MEA seals, two fake PAN cards, 34 stamps of various countries and shell companies, two forged press cards, Rs 44.7 lakh in cash, foreign currency of multiple countries, and business documents linked to shell entities allegedly used for hawala operations.
The operation, cloaked in pseudo-diplomatic legitimacy, had gone unnoticed for months, until STF officers uncovered the deception — revealing a bizarre tale of invented sovereignty, fake embassies, and elaborate identity fraud.
This is not Jain’s first brush with law enforcement. In 2011, the Ghaziabad police booked him for the illegal possession of a satellite phone, a case still on record at the Kavi Nagar Police Station.
Officers also said he has previously boasted of his connections with self-styled godman Chandraswami and international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, both now deceased.
