162 Foreign Trips, Links With Arm Dealers And Rs 300 Cr Scam: Ghaziabad Fake Embassy Probe Exposes Alarming Details

Harshvardhan, 47 years old, is accused of being part of a money laundering racket through hawala and forging diplomatic documents. He created fake companies. He was duping common people and companies with the help of vehicles with diplomatic number plates, foreign flags, and fake documents.

Image (ANI/IANS)

Ghaziabad Fake Embassy: The bust of a fake embassy by the Noida unit of Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has blown the lid off not only the mastermind, Harshvardhan Jain's 162 foreign trips over ten years, but also an alleged link with a massive Rs. 300 crore scam. The kingpin, who ran the fake embassy and duped people by posing as the ambassador of different nations, had also set up several fake companies abroad and was running a job scam by promising people work abroad and sending them abroad.

The bust of a fake embassy in Ghaziabad by the Noida unit of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has blown the lid off a massive scam involving the alleged mastermind, Harshvardhan Jain. The investigation has revealed that Jain made 162 foreign trips over the past ten years and is allegedly linked to a Rs. 300 crore scam. Posing as an ambassador of various countries, he not only operated the fake embassy but also set up multiple bogus companies abroad. 

Harshvardhan, 47 years old, is accused of being part of a money laundering racket through hawala and forging diplomatic documents. He created fake companies in London, Dubai, and African countries. In addition, he allegedly ran a job scam by promising overseas employment and sending people abroad under false pretenses. He had converted his house in Ghaziabad into a fake embassy.

The kingpin of the fake embassy declared himself the ambassador of self-proclaimed micronations like Seborga, West Arctic, and Pulbia Lodonia and used them to dupe common people and companies in India. 

Harshvardhan Jain's Foreign Trips 

India Today reported, citing sources, that he made 19 foreign trips between 2005 and 2015, and visited the UAE multiple times. He visited the UK 22 times and also travelled to several other countries, including France and Mauritius. The report also elaborated that Harvardhan made 162 trips abroad. 

Furthermore, his foreign bank accounts in nations like Dubai and the UK have also come to light. 

Rs. 300 Crore Financial Fraud? 

The India Today report further stated that the accused, Harshvardhan, was aided by Ahsan Ali Syed in registering multiple overseas companies. 

Syed is a Hyderabad-born Turkish national and is reportedly accused of masterminding a Rs. 300 crore fraud that targeted financially struggling Switzerland firms. Along with Harshvardhan, he allegedly lured these companies by promising them loans, while the two profited from the scheme.

Links With Arms Dealer 

During the raid, police uncovered pictures of Jain with "godman" Chandraswami and Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, NDTV reported. 

Chandraswami, reportedly a self-proclaimed godman, rose to influence in the 1980s-1990s, and financial irregularities brought him under scrutiny. He was later arrested in 1996. According to the report,  he was also accused of funding former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. 

Meanwhile, IANS had earlier reported that Harshvardhan came in contact with Chandraswami in the year 2000 and also met many arms dealers, and from there, he started a series of fraud at the international level.

Fake Embassy Raid 

Harshvardhan was duping common people and companies with the help of vehicles with diplomatic number plates, foreign flags, and fake documents. In addition, he did his BBA from Ghaziabad and his MBA from London. 

Based on the secret information received by STF, a raid was conducted at the house located at KB-35, Kavi Nagar, on July 22 at around 11:30 pm. Many expensive possessions, including four luxury cars with diplomatic number plates, flags of various countries, and several fake documents, including a huge amount of cash, were recovered from the spot.

According to the police, the arrested accused Harshvardhan Jain is from a reputed industrialist family of Ghaziabad. 

(with IANS inputs)