Luxury cars, fake passports, morphed photos: What’s inside ‘Westarctica embassy’, Ghaziabad, UP

Ghaziabad: In a bizarre episode, Uttar Pradesh’s Special Task Force (STF) has busted a fake embassy operating out of a rented bungalow in Ghaziabad’s upscale Kavi Nagar area. The so-called consulate claimed to represent the Grand Duchy of Westarctica.

While the embassy was fake, the 'country' it represented is not entirely fictitious. Westarctica is an unrecognised micronation officially registered as Westarctica Incorporated in Sacramento, California. It claims sovereignty over Marie Byrd Land, a 1.6 million sq km stretch of unclaimed territory in Antarctica, and styles itself as a duchy, complete with its own flag, coat of arms, and currency (the Ice Mark).

The man behind the con, Harsh Vardhan Jain, posed as an 'ambassador' of Westarctica and other self-declared micronations like Saborga, Poulvia, and Lodonia. A micronation is a political entity that claims to be an independent sovereign state but lacks legal recognition from any legitimate government.

STF officials arrested Jain during a raid on Tuesday, seizing a cache of fake diplomatic paraphernalia that looked straight out of a movie set. Parked outside the ‘embassy’ were four luxury cars bearing fake diplomatic number plates, part of an elaborate ploy to lend the setup an air of legitimacy. Inside, officials discovered forged diplomatic passports, counterfeit seals of the Ministry of External Affairs, and rubber stamps from foreign countries and corporate entities.

According to investigators, Jain projected himself as a global power broker, using morphed photos with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former President A P J Abdul Kalam, and other dignitaries to gain trust. These doctored images were reportedly used to convince individuals and companies that he could help them with overseas jobs or business ventures.

The scam appears to go beyond fake diplomacy. Jain is also suspected of running a hawala network through shell companies. Notably, he had previously been booked in 2011 for possessing an illegal satellite phone.

Following items were seized during the raid:

• 4 high-end cars with fake diplomatic number plates
• 12 forged diplomatic passports linked to fictional micronations
• 34 counterfeit seals from various countries and companies
• Documents bearing forged seals of the Ministry of External Affairs
• 2 fake press cards and 2 forged PAN cards
• ₹44.7 lakh in cash and foreign currency from multiple nations
• 18 additional fabricated diplomatic number plates

Authorities also recovered documents related to multiple shell companies believed to have been used in financial fraud.

Senior STF officer Amitabh Yash confirmed that Jain had past links to controversial godman Chandraswami and the late international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. Investigators suspect the scam spanned multiple fronts, from diplomatic fraud and employment rackets to financial crimes. An FIR has been registered at the Kavi Nagar police station. Further investigation is underway.
(With IANS, PTI inputs.)