162 Foreign Trips, Shell Companies, Rs 300-Crore Fraud: Fake Embassy Bust Exposes Harshvardhan Jain’s Racket
A Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) probe into Harshvardhan Jain — arrested for allegedly operating a sham embassy from a rented two-storey house in Ghaziabad — has thrown up extraordinary claims: 162 foreign trips in a decade, multiple overseas bank accounts, and suspected links to a scam pegged at nearly Rs 300 crore. Police said they will seek Jain’s custody in court. During the raid, officers seized four luxury cars bearing fake diplomatic number plates, forged documents and a luxury watch collection.
Outside the swanky Kavi Nagar address (KB-35), a nameplate announced the “Grand Duchy of Westarctica” and “H E HV Jain Honorary Consul”, with the tricolour and the Westarctica flag fluttering alongside. Investigators told NDTV that Jain allegedly used this façade to network and then entice people with promises of jobs abroad. The “embassy” had, by their account, been active since 2017; he rented the current building six months ago. He also organised public charity events, including bhandaras (community feasts), to sustain the illusion.
During the raid, police recovered photographs of Jain with controversial “godman” Chandraswami and Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, NDTV noted. Chandraswami — who rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s and was seen as a spiritual adviser to three Prime Ministers, PV Narasimha Rao, Chandra Shekhar and VP Singh — was arrested in 1996 for financial irregularities; a raid on his ashram had also uncovered links to Khashoggi. He was additionally accused of funding the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Shell firms, hawala, and the Western Advisory Group
According to the UP STF, it was Chandraswami who connected Jain to Khashoggi and conman Ahsan Ali Sayed. NDTV reported that Sayed and Jain allegedly created 25 shell companies to launder money. Born in Hyderabad, Sayed later became a Turkish citizen and ran Western Advisory Group in Switzerland, which, investigators allege, promised brokerage-based facilitation of loans to companies. The firm is accused of collecting 25 million pounds (nearly Rs 300 crore) before fleeing Swiss jurisdiction. Sayed was arrested in London in 2022. Police are now examining how deeply Jain was embedded in this alleged operation.
“Honorary consul”, not ambassador: Westarctica washes its hands
Following Jain’s arrest, Westarctica — the self-declared micronation in Antarctica — publicly distanced itself from him. In a statement cited, it said: “In 2016, Mr HV Jain made a generous donation to Westarctica and was subsequently invited to join our team of international volunteers who advance our environmental and charitable mission in their home countries. His official title was ‘Honorary Consul to India’. He was never granted the position or authority of ‘ambassador’,” the organisation said.
It added: “During his recent arrest for fraud and other crimes, Mr. Jain was found to be in possession of diplomatic number plates, passports, and other items bearing the seal of Westarctica. As an Honorary Consul, he was not authorized to create these items. Westarctica, itself, does not utilize number plates or passports and we have never permitted or encouraged our representatives to do so themselves. By calling his home an ‘embassy’, Mr Jain was in violation of Westarctica’s protocol for our representatives,” the statement continued.
Westarctica further noted that Jain has been “indefinitely suspended as a representative of our organization”. “Our executive team is currently looking into the matter further, and our hearts go out to any individuals who were victimized by Mr. Jain. We will cooperate fully with the legal authorities in India.”
Who is Harshvardhan Jain?
According to IANS, Jain, 47, hails from a reputed industrialist family in Ghaziabad. He completed a BBA from Ghaziabad and an MBA from London, the news agency reported. He allegedly floated several fake companies abroad and ran a job-placement scam, promising employment overseas. He forged diplomatic documents and was allegedly part of a hawala-driven money laundering network, creating fake companies in London, Dubai and African countries.
Based on secret inputs, the STF’s Noida unit raided the Kavi Nagar residence on July 22 at around 11:30 pm, recovering luxury vehicles with diplomatic plates, flags of multiple countries, large amounts of cash and stacks of forged paperwork, IANS reported. Police said Jain had declared himself an “ambassador” of self-proclaimed micronations including Seborga, West Arctic and Pulbia Lodonia, and used these identities to defraud individuals and companies in India. He had also adorned his residence with photoshopped images with prominent politicians.
Westarctica -- The Micronation At The Centre Of The Storm
Westarctica was founded in 2001 by Travis McHenry, a former US Navy officer who named himself Grand Duke. The group claims a territory of 6,20,000 square miles in Antarctica and says it used a loophole in the Antarctic Treaty System: while nations cannot assert sovereignty, private individuals are not explicitly addressed. Westarctica claims 2,356 citizens — none of whom live there — operates from Southern California as a non-profit focused on climate change awareness, and even issues its own flag, currency and titles — none recognised by any government.
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