‘Baron of Westarctica’ Busted in India for Running Fake Embassy, Held Six Bank Accounts in Dubai

A 47-year-old Indian man who styled himself as the “Baron of Westarctica” has been arrested for operating a bogus diplomatic mission out of a rented villa, complete with luxury cars, counterfeit passports, and forged diplomatic number plates.

 

Harshvardhan Jain, arrested in July from Kavi Nagar in Ghaziabad, lived in a sprawling two-storey home adorned with international flags and an imposing sign identifying it as the "Grand Duchy of Westarctica" -- a fictitious micronation that claims territory in Antarctica.

 

According to a press release issued by the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force (STF), officers recovered:

 

• Four high-end sedans bearing fake diplomatic plates

• 20 counterfeit number plates

• 12 unauthorised diplomatic passports

• Rs4.4 million (Dh184,000 approx) in cash

• Foreign currency

• 34 rubber stamps allegedly used for document forgery
  
   

Jain’s remand ended on August 2, and investigations have now shifted to his extensive foreign travel and financial links to the UAE. Police sources cited in Indian media say he travelled abroad 145 times between 2005 and 2015 -- 54 of those to the UAE.

 

Dubai Connections and Alleged Money Trail

Jain reportedly moved to the UAE in 2006, initially staying with a cousin, and began establishing companies claiming to facilitate overseas job placements. Authorities suspect these ventures were used to carry out fraudulent recruitment schemes.

 

The STF revealed he maintained six bank accounts in Dubai and may have used a network of shell companies -- at least one of them registered in Dubai -- to move funds internationally. Investigators believe he was assisted by foreign associates in routing money through offshore accounts to obscure its origins and destinations.

 

A key focus of the investigation is a money transfer of approximately Dh8.4 million allegedly made to Jain by controversial Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi between 2002 and 2004. Jain also possessed photographs with other notorious individuals, including Indian godman Chandraswami.

 

Titles, Micronations, and Fictional Ambassadorships

Police say Jain, the son of a steel mill owner from Ghaziabad, claimed to hold an MBA from a London university. His fascination with statehood symbols escalated after returning to India in 2011.

 

In 2012, he was appointed as an “advisor” to Seorga, another self-declared micronation, and later claimed ambassadorships from entities like Poubia and Lodonia. The villa he rented began resembling a diplomatic compound, featuring multiple international flags, signboards and vehicles with fabricated diplomatic identifiers.

 

One such claim was to the "Grand Duchy of Westarctica," which has since confirmed that Jain was granted an honorary title in 2016 in exchange for a donation but held no official capacity. His affiliation has since been “indefinitely suspended.”

 

Not an Isolated Case

The arrest comes just months after a similar incident in the same city. In March, a 66-year-old former zoology professor, Krishna Shekhar Rana, was detained for posing as an Omani diplomat and requesting official protocol privileges. He too had a Mercedes-Benz with fake diplomatic plates.

 

As authorities unravel the full extent of Jain’s network and financial dealings, the case serves as a striking reminder of how elaborate diplomatic facades can be constructed -- and fall apart --within the heart of unsuspecting neighbourhoods.

 

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