Luxury cars, fake passports, morphed photos: Inside India’s wildest 7-year fake embassy scam

A 47-year-old man, Harshvardhan Jain, has been arrested for allegedly operating a bogus embassy out of a rented home near New Delhi. Police say he posed as an ambassador and duped people by promising overseas jobs, claiming links to obscure entities like “Seborga” and “Westarctica.” The fake embassy setup included cars with false diplomatic plates and rooms decked with international flags.

Doctored images and fake seals recovered

Authorities seized doctored photographs showing Jain with world leaders, along with counterfeit seals from India’s foreign ministry and nearly 30 other countries. Investigators believe these were used to create a convincing front to lure and defraud victims seeking foreign employment opportunities.

Money, luxury cars, and fraud charges

Police also recovered four luxury cars bearing fake diplomatic tags, ₹4.5 million in cash, and various foreign currencies from the premises. Jain is suspected of laundering money through shell companies and now faces charges of forgery, impersonation, and possession of fake documents. He has not yet commented on the allegations.

Here's a look at the fake embassy and false promises that were allegedly Harshvardhan Jain’s front for fraud and hawala operations.

Who is Harshvardhan Jain?

Harshvardhan Jain, holds an MBA from the London College of Applied Science and comes from a business family in Ghaziabad. After his father's death and a string of financial setbacks, he moved to London with help from controversial godman Chandraswami. There, he launched several companies—some now suspected of being fronts for illicit financial activity.

He allegedly returned to India after Chandraswami’s death and began running the fake embassy.

Why ‘Westarctica’?

While it may sound fictional, Westarctica is a real micronation—a self-declared entity with no legal recognition. Founded in 2001 by a US Navy officer, it claims unclaimed Antarctic land. It has its own flag, currency (the Ice Mark), and nobility titles—but no official government, residents, or power.

Jain posed as the Consul General of Westarctica in India and even posted photos of food donation drives outside his Ghaziabad “consulate” on social media.

How did the scam work?

According to investigators, Jain used:

• Doctored photos with Indian leaders like PM Narendra Modi and former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

• Fake embassy paraphernalia to project legitimacy

• False promises of overseas jobs and business ties, in exchange for money

• He is also suspected of involvement in hawala operations and routing illicit funds through shell companies.

What else do we know?

• Jain reportedly had past ties with arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi

• He was previously booked in 2011 for possessing illegal satellite phones

• He allegedly organised charity events (bhandaras) outside the fake embassy to maintain credibility

• His social media profiles showcased the property branded as the “Consulate-General of Westarctica in New Delhi”

What did police find?

The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) busted the operation and seized:

• 4 luxury cars with fake diplomatic number plates

•   ₹44.7 lakh in cash and foreign currency

• 12 forged diplomatic passports of fictitious micronations

• 34 counterfeit seals of various countries and entities

• Rubber stamps with the Ministry of External Affairs logo

• 2 fake press cards, 2 forged PAN cards

• Documents linked to shell companies suspected of money laundering

Police say these were used to present Jain as a global power broker and gain victims' trust.

What’s next?

A case has been registered at Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar police station. Investigations are ongoing, with authorities now working to identify potential victims and collaborators in what they describe as one of the most bizarre cons in recent years.