DELHI: In an extraordinary case that blurs fiction and fraud, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has dismantled a fake embassy in Ghaziabad operated by Harshvardhan Jain — a London-educated MBA who declared himself “Consul Ambassador” to four countries: West Arctic, Saborga, Pulawavia, and Lodonia.
Jain’s elaborate setup, housed in a posh Kavi Nagar residence, included diplomatic number plates, luxury cars, fake passports, and documents bearing fabricated seals of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. Officers seized ₹44 lakh in cash, 12 “diplomatic” passports, 34 forged foreign ministry stamps, and 18 fake diplomatic vehicle plates.
The operation was surprisingly sophisticated. Jain used Photoshop to place himself with global leaders, issued press cards and PAN cards under fake identities, and even hoisted flags of the nations. His scam targeted job-seekers and facilitated hawala transactions via a web of shell companies.
Investigations reveal Jain’s criminal creativity traces back to his affluent roots in Rajasthan. Son of marble baron JD Jain, he mingled with controversial figures like Chandraswami and Ehsan Ali Sayed, expanding his network into Dubai through business partners. His diplomatic delusion took shape in 2012 after ties with Seborga, a self-declared Italian micronation, inspired him to create his own.
Despite operating from a neighborhood housing top government officials, Jain’s fantasy empire went undetected for years — until central agencies validated an STF tip-off. The man who faked his ambassadorship of the countries now faces very real consequences.
Who is Harshvardhan?
Harshvardhan Jain’s story begins in the marble dust of Rajasthan, where his father JD Jain built a business empire spanning railings factories and mining operations. The family’s Indira Marbles and JD Marbles exported stone to London – an early glimpse of the international connections that would later define Harshvardhan’s dubious career.
Born into industrial wealth in Ghaziabad, Jain’s life took a turn in 2000 when he allegedly met controversial spiritual figure Chandraswami in London. This introduction opened doors to Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi’s associate Ehsan Ali Sayed. Together, police claim they established 12 shell companies used for hawala transactions.
By 2006, Jain had relocated to Dubai’s Umm Al Quwain, aided by a cousin. There, court documents show he partnered with Hyderabad-based Shafiq and Dubai resident Ibrahim Ali bin Sharma to expand his operations.
Jain’s alleged reinvention as a “diplomat” began in 2012 when he became an advisor to Seborga – an Italian village that declares itself a micronation. He later claimed positions with the self-proclaimed governments of West Arctica and Poldivia Lodossia, using these titles to lend credibility to his fake embassy operation.
(This article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Brew News and The Free Press Journal)
