Uttar Pradesh

‘Baron of Westarctica’: How a UP man ran fake embassy from a Ghaziabad bungalow for 7 years

Harshvardhan Jain was arrested on Tuesday by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) for operating a fake ‘Westarctica’ embassy out of a rented house in Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar. He posed as a ‘Baron’ representing Westarctica, a self-declared micronation claiming land in Antarctica and founded by a former US Navy officer. During the raid, officials recovered luxury cars with diplomatic plates, stamps from 34 countries, Rs 44 lakh in cash, and more

Ghaziabad fake embassy scandal: Westarctica and the world of micronations

A 45-year-old man in Ghaziabad was pulling off a unique scam by pretending to be the ‘ambassador’ of Westarctica, an unrecognised micronation in Antarctica. A raid by the Uttar Pradesh Police at the house he claimed was the official embassy busted his con. The case has put the spotlight on micronations. What are they?

UP Police busts fake 'Westarctica' embassy in Ghaziabad, arrests man posing as diplomat

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested a man for running a fake embassy of 'Westarctica' in Ghaziabad. The STF said that the man, identified as Harsh Vardhan, had been pretending to be a diplomat and operated vehicles with fake diplomatic number plates.

After Balasore, Noida student dies by suicide due to 'harassment' by teachers: What happened?

A second-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student at a top private college in Greater Noida allegedly died by suicide. A note reportedly recovered from her room revealed that she had faced humiliation and mental harassment by two faculty members. This comes days after a student in Odisha set herself on fire after accusing college officials of ignoring her complaint of sexual harassment by a professor

Rs 106 crore in 40 accounts: Inside Chhangur Baba’s religious conversion racket in UP

Chhangur Baba, who is the alleged mastermind behind a large illegal religious conversion racket in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district, once went around on a bicycle selling rings and amulets. Today, he reportedly owns assets worth Rs 106 crore, spread across 40 bank accounts, along with at least two properties reportedly valued in crores. Notably, he is accused of targeting girls from various communities and allegedly maintaining a ‘rate list’ for conversions

The connection between Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini and Uttar Pradesh, explained

In Iran, its most powerful man is its supreme leader. Did you know that the first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, has a connection to India? His grandfather, Ahmad Hindi, was born near Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh. Khomeini inherited the Shia faith from Hindi

The heroic tale of Lt Shashank Tiwari, who died while saving a fellow soldier in Sikkim

Lt Shashank Tiwari was deployed with the Sikkim Scouts regiment of the Indian Army. The 23-year-old, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, made the ultimate sacrifice while saving a young agniveer officer from drowning in an icy, fast-moving mountain stream. Here's what happened

2 Kanpur men die after ‘hair transplant’: How safe is this cosmetic procedure?

Two engineers in Kanpur died allegedly after undergoing hair transplant treatment at a private clinic. These incidents have triggered questions about the safety of the surgery. Experts say that a hair transplant is generally a safe procedure. But here’s what people should know

Rs 3,706 crore HCL-Foxconn display chip plant gets Cabinet's green signal; to be set up in UP

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 3,706 crore semiconductor plant at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, to be set up by the HCLFoxconn joint venture to manufacture display driver chips for mobile phones, laptops, and automobiles.

When fighter jets land and take off from India's highways it's not just 'show' of strength

The IAF's historic "land and go" on the Ganga Expressway marks a milestone, but also reveals key challenges in highway-based operations