Indian police have arrested a man accused of running a fake embassy in a rented building in Ghaziabad and impersonating an ambassador of made-up countries like ‘Seborga’ or ‘Westarctica’.

Ever dreamed of working in exotic countries like Ladonia, Westarctica, Seborga, or Poulvia? Unfortunately, you’re not the only one. An Indian scammer managed to defraud dozens of individuals and companies by posing as an ambassador of made-up micronations, promising employment and lucrative business deals in exchange for hefty fees. Harshvardhan Jain had set up a fake embassy in a lavish bungalow in Ghaziabad’s upscale Kavi Nagar area, where he presented himself as a wealthy and well-connected diplomat, using fake documents, forged car plates and made-up foreign connections to trick his victims.

The 47-year-old suspect was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday after his fake embassy in Ghaziabad was raided. Authorities recovered four cars with fake diplomatic number plates, the forged ‘diplomatic passports’ of 12 micronations, forged stamps for 34 different nations, Rs 44 lakh in cash, and a collection of luxury watches.

According to senior police officer Sushil Ghule of Uttar Pradesh state’s Special Task Force, Jain is suspected of money laundering through shell companies in countries such as the UK, Mauritius, Dubai, and several African nations.

 

It’s unclear how long Harshvardhan Jain’s fake embassy had operated for before being closed down, but police sources said that he had braisenly hoisted the flags of fake micronations like Ladonia, Westarctica, or Seborga outside his rented bungalow to make it seem genuine to people less familiar with international geography. He also parked luxury cars outside his embassy, for added effect.

This is far from the world’s first fake embassy. A few years back, we wrote about a fake US embassy in Ghana that had operated for a full decade before finally being closed down.