Delhi man arrested for running fake ‘Westarctica’ embassy, visited 40 countries

Police in India have arrested a man for allegedly running a fake embassy at a rented house near New Delhi and defrauding job seekers with false promises of overseas employment.

Harsh Vardhan Jain, 47, is alleged to have posed as an ambassador representing fictional nations such as "Westarctica", "Saborga", "Poulvia", and "Lodonia". He operated an "illegal Westarctica embassy" in Ghaziabad, in Uttar Pradesh, just outside the capital.

According to police, Jain used forged diplomatic documents, fake number plates on vehicles, and doctored photographs showing him alongside senior Indian officials to lend credibility to his claims.

"He acted as a broker for job placements abroad for private individuals and companies, and was also running a hawala network through shell companies," police said in a statement following his arrest earlier this week.

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He is also under investigation for alleged money laundering.

During a raid on the property, authorities said they recovered $53,500 in cash, forged passports, and documents bearing fake stamps purportedly from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

One of the made-up countries named by police, "Westarctica", is a US-based nonprofit organisation focused on the preservation and study of a region of Western Antarctica. In a statement, the organisation confirmed that Jain had been appointed as its "Honorary Consul to India" in recognition of a financial donation.

However, it said: "He was never granted the position or authority of ambassador."

The probe revealed that Jain was in possession of 12 diplomatic passports and had visited around 40 countries over the past 10 years.