Ghaziabad, India: The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has discovered a complex phony embassy operation being conducted from a rented home in Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar. This is a strange and bold scam. The person in charge, who went by the name Harshvardhan Jain, was said to be acting as a consul or ambassador for numerous “micronations,” which are self-proclaimed countries that don’t have official recognition from other countries. These include Westarctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Londonia.
Amitabh Yash, the Additional Director General of Law and Order for the Uttar Pradesh Police, confirmed the bust and explained that a consul is a government official who represents their home country’s interests overseas and does things like issue visas, renew passports, and promote trade. But Jain was using this front to plan a lot of criminal things.
A Web of Lies: Fake Documents, Hawala, and Big Connections
Investigations showed that Jain used complicated tactics to make his fake diplomatic mission seem real. He is said to have used diplomatic license plates on his cars and provided altered pictures of himself with famous people, such as the Prime Minister and the President, to trick people and businesses.
Amitabh Yash said, “His main activities included brokering deals for companies and individuals to work abroad and running a hawala racket through shell companies.” The STF’s Noida section raided and found a huge amount of evidence that may be used against them, such as:
Cash worth more than ₹44 lakh
Money from other countries in different currencies
Four cars with diplomatic license plates
An extra 18 diplomatic license plates
12 diplomatic passports that are said to come from these “micronations”
Fake documents with the Ministry of External Affairs’ official seal on them
Two phony PAN cards
34 seals from different countries and businesses
Two phony press passes
Papers about different shell businesses
The investigation also found some shocking things about Harshvardhan Jain’s past. Amitabh Yash said that Jain has ties to the notorious spiritual leader Chandraswami and the well-known international arms trader Adnan Khashoggi. Jain also has a criminal record; in 2011, he was caught using unauthorized satellite phones, which led to a case being filed against him at the Kavi Nagar police station in Ghaziabad.
The Kavi Nagar police have opened a case, and more legal action is being taken as they look into Jain’s network and any collaborators. The discovery of this complicated scam shows how illicit operations are becoming more sophisticated and how important it is to be on the lookout for these kinds of scams.