Shell companies, Hawala network: How UP man used overseas links to run fake embassy

Harshvardhan Jain, 47, who called himself the ‘Baron of Westarctica’, was arrested earlier this week after the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) uncovered a fake embassy operating out of his two-storey house in Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar.

For years, Jain managed to pass off as a high-ranking diplomat, driving around in luxury cars with fake diplomatic plates, flashing forged passports from made-up nations, and posing in doctored photos with top leaders. But according to officials, it was all a cover for a much bigger financial racket.

The STF believes Jain built a shady network that reached far beyond Ghaziabad. He had set up multiple shell companies overseas, opened foreign bank accounts in his own name, and created an illusion of international legitimacy. His entire operation, officials say, ran on a “modus operandi of fraud, hawala and brokerage” disguised as diplomatic dealings.

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As investigators dig deeper, more details are emerging about the elaborate scam Jain pulled off for nearly a decade. Here’s what the STF has found so far.

Jain’s murky global connections

Harshvardhan Jain had connections that spanned abroad. According to the Uttar Pradesh STF, Jain frequently travelled to the UK and Dubai, where he built relationships with several controversial figures.

During his time in London, Jain told investigators he had worked closely with controversial godman Chandraswami and arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, both known for their murky pasts.

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SP (Noida STF) Raj Kumar Mishra told The Times of India that Jain also became close to Ahsan Ali Sayed, an Indian-origin Turkish businessman with a history of fraud.

Sayed’s company, the Western Advisory Group, operated out of Switzerland and Bahrain, offering loan services to Swiss firms. Between 2008 and 2011, it collected over 25 million pounds in brokerage fees, money Sayed later absconded with.

He was arrested in November 2022 by the London Police on Switzerland’s request and extradited in July 2023. A court in Zurich sentenced him to six-and-a-half years in prison for fraud and fleeing after taking money from 16 companies under the pretext of securing loans.

Multiple shell companies, shady bank accounts

As per the STF, Jain and Sayed registered multiple shell companies abroad, reportedly used to facilitate Hawala transactions and large-scale financial fraud.

“Together, Jain and Syed had registered several companies abroad, including State Trading Corporation Ltd and East India Company UK Ltd in the UK, Island General Trading Co LLC in the UAE, Indira Overseas Ltd in Mauritius and Cameron Ispat Sarl in Cameroon, Africa,” an officer told The Times of India.

Jain is also said to have operated 11 bank accounts in four countries—six in Dubai, three in the UK, and one each in Mauritius and India. Two PAN cards recovered from his Ghaziabad residence are currently being examined, along with the accounts linked to them.

Adding to the suspicion, STF officials revealed that three of the four cars with diplomatic plates found at Jain’s home were more than 15 years old and likely used in hawala transactions.

A blue corner notice is expected to be issued soon as authorities work to trace the full extent of Jain’s financial dealings abroad, TOI reported.

How Jain ran a fake embassy as ‘Baron of Westarctica’

From the outside, it looked like a diplomatic mission. But inside the grand bungalow in Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar, Harshvardhan Jain had built a facade, complete with flags, forged seals, and fake titles.

According to the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), Jain posed as the ambassador of multiple self-declared micronations, including Westarctica , Seborga, Poulvia, and Ladonia. These so-called nations exist largely online, with no international recognition, but Jain used their names to build an air of legitimacy around his operations.

The 47-year-old, who holds an MBA from London, had earlier lived in Dubai, where he allegedly began duping businessmen by offering fake overseas job placements. After returning to India in 2011, he shifted operations to a lavish rented bungalow and scaled up the con.

The Special Task Force had been observing Jain for weeks after a tip-off. When officers raided the Ghaziabad property on July 22, they found:

• 4 luxury cars, including a Range Rover, Toyota Fortuner, and a Skoda, all with fake diplomatic plates.

• 18 spare number plates, many marked with “DC” or “CD,” symbols usually reserved for official diplomats.

• 12 forged diplomatic passports from Westarctica and other imaginary countries.

• Rs 44.70 lakh in cash, along with several foreign currencies.

• 34 fake seals, two press cards, two PAN cards, and a collection of forged documents, including letters from the Ministry of External Affairs, invitations, and nameplates.

Police say he used this persona to win trust and extract money from individuals and companies, promising international deals, jobs abroad, and high-level connections.

Jain has been charged with forgery, impersonation, cheating, and criminal conspiracy under several sections of the IPC. The STF is now seeking his custody to dig deeper into the scope of the racket.

With input from agencies