Ghaziabad’s Fake Embassy Mastermind Busted: Meet Harsh Vardhan Jain, The Man Behind A Phantom Diplomatic Empire

Inside a rented house, he had created a world of lies stitched together with forged stamps, fake passports and piles of cash. He called himself an “Ambassador” to four obscure or fictitious nations.

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh): The house at KB-45 in the middle of a residential lane in Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar looked like just another villa in the neighbourhood. But behind its closed gates, a bizarre and elaborate charade was playing out. A fake embassy, complete with flags, diplomatic insignia and even morphed photographs of the prime minister and former presidents, had been operating under the nose of the authorities.

On July 22 night, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) raided the property and arrested one Harsh Vardhan Jain, the man behind the entire set-up.

He was not only playing dress-up. Inside that rented house, he had created a world of lies stitched together with forged stamps, fake passports and piles of cash. He called himself an “Ambassador” to four obscure or fictitious nations, West Antarctica, Saborga, Paulovia and Ladonia. Two of them do not even exist on any official map. The others are micronations with no formal recognition. And yet, for those who entered his circle, Harsh Vardhan sold a dream of foreign jobs, overseas businesses and lavish international access.

Photos found in the house hint at a past riddled with shadows. His wall displayed images of himself with Chandraswami, the late controversial godman with known political links, and Adnan Khashoggi, the infamous international arms dealer. Whether those associations were real or part of the act, the police are still investigating.

But what the STF did confirm is startling – four luxury cars with diplomatic number plates, 12 fake diplomatic passports, fake documents branded with the Indian foreign ministry’s forged seals, fake press cards, two PAN cards under different names, stamps from 34 companies and countries, currency from multiple nations, 18 false number plates and Rs 44 lakh in cash stacked inside the premises.

It does not end there.

The STF says Harsh Vardhan also ran shell companies, which they believe were used for hawala transactions that are an informal and often illegal system of money transfer. Those who came into contact with him were lured in by a promise of influence and connections, only to be caught in a labyrinth of lies.

This was not his first brush with the law. Back in 2011, he was booked for illegally possessing a satellite phone, something typically restricted to military or government use. That case too had emerged from Kavi Nagar, the very area where his latest plot unravelled.

The STF’s Noida unit conducted the raid, acting on a tip-off. It is a case of diplomatic fantasy, engineered with stunning precision and executed just a few kilometres from the national capital.

Officials say the case raises troubling questions. How long had this fake embassy been functioning? How many people fell into his trap? And just how many documents in circulation today bear the fingerprints of Harsh Vardhan’s forgery empire?

As investigators dig deeper, one thing is certain that this was no small con. This was a parallel world of power, illusion and deception, all built within the walls of a quiet home in Ghaziabad.