Lucknow,

23 July (HS): The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force discovered a phony

embassy in Ghaziabad and detained a man who headed the consulate while

pretending to be a diplomat from the non-existent West Arctica, a top official

said on Wednesday. Harsh Vardhan Jain, a resident of Kavi Nagar in Ghaziabad,

was detained on Tuesday. According to preliminary investigations conducted by

the STF's Noida section, Jain was involved in deal brokering by fraudulently

offering employment placements for firms and individuals in other nations. He

is also suspected of conducting a hawala scam through shell businesses,

according to the agency, and the accused utilized modified images of himself

with the prime minister, the president, and other dignitaries to deceive

people.

According

to Additional Director General of Police Amitabh Yash, the accused ran a bogus

embassy from a rented house, posing as the consul or ambassador of non-existent

countries such as West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Lodonia, and drove around

in vehicles bearing fake diplomatic number plates. Interrogation showed that

the accused had previously worked with the infamous godman Chandraswami and

international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.

In 2011, Jain was arrested in connection with the discovery of an illicit

satellite phone.

Following

his arrest on Tuesday, four vehicles bearing forged diplomatic number plates,

12 forged diplomatic passports of so-called micronations, fake documents

stamped with the Ministry of External Affairs seal, two forged PAN cards, 34

rubber stamps of various countries and companies, and fake press cards were

seized. The STF also discovered Rs 44.7 lakh in cash, foreign currency, papers

from different firms, and 18 counterfeit diplomatic number plates. An FIR has

been filed at the Kavi Nagar police station, and additional investigation is

ongoing, according to the agency.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi