What does it take to make your embassy? In India, not much
Not much, if you ask Harshvardhan Jain, aka 'Baron H.V. Jain.'
Rent a bungalow, hoist some flags, park a few luxury cars on the curb, photoshop yourself into pictures with world leaders, and — voilà! — you have your own embassy.
Until you are caught, that is.
Indian police arrested Jain, 47, on Tuesday for running a fake embassy in a rented residential building in Ghaziabad, a city just outside New Delhi.
This house, police said, alternately acted as the diplomatic mission for Westarctica or the Principality of Seborga or Poulbia Lodonia — depending on the day or the need, or the hour.
These entities, technically, are 'micronations' — self-proclaimed sovereign states that lack a legal basis for their existence, as they are not recognized by other countries.
For the better part of a decade, such legal inconveniences did little to undermine Jain's operation.
Police said his building in Ghaziabad, with all its pomp and regalia, was the address for a range of criminal activities, from defrauding people of money by promising employment abroad to running a multinational hawala network — an informal system of transferring money that is illegal in India.
Police officials suggested that Jain had been running his racket since at least 2017, when he declared himself the representative of Westarctica. His ambitions kept expanding from there.
The micronation of Westarctica, in a statement on its website, said, 'Mr. Jain was an authorized representative engaging in unauthorized activities.' He had been made an 'honorary Consul to India' after he made a 'generous donation' to Westarctica, the statement said.
The entity's website says it was set up in 2001 by Travis McHenry, an American citizen, while he was serving in the U.S. Navy. He refers to himself as Grand Duke Travis. In a statement on Westarctica's Instagram page, Grand Duke Travis said 'Baron H.V. Jain' had been removed from the micronation's 'roster of diplomatic representatives.'
In an email to The New York Times, he added that Jain had had diplomatic number plates, passports, and many other items bearing the seal of Westarctica, none of which he had been authorized to produce.
For almost eight years, Jain had created for himself the 'aura' of an important man, said Sushil Ghule, a senior superintendent of police involved in the investigation.
'An undiscerning layman will believe what he sees and cannot tell that it's all fraudulent,' he said.
In the fake embassy, the police recovered 12 counterfeit passports representing different countries, 20 diplomatic license plates that had been obtained without authorization, stamps of government departments and agencies, forged documents, and foreign currencies — all used to keep up Jain's persona of a well-connected diplomat.
Police said that Jain had a master's from a university in London and that he was well-traveled, having established dubious companies in several countries before returning to India. The son of an industrialist, he was booked by police in 2012 for owning a satellite phone, which is prohibited for use in India without a license.
Ghule said police were still looking into the extent of Jain's activity from the fake embassy. Have they reached out to Westarctica for help with the investigation?
'No,' Ghule said.
This article originally appeared in
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
an hour ago
- Observer
With new 40% Tariff, Trump tries to box in China
Ever since President Donald Trump began raising tariffs on goods from China during his first term, Chinese companies have raced to set up warehouses and factories in Southeast Asia, Mexico and elsewhere to bypass US tariffs with indirect shipments to the US market via other countries. But on Thursday, Trump took aim at all indirect American imports, which he blames for part of the $1.2 trillion US trade deficit. The president imposed 40 per cent tariffs on so-called transshipments, which will take effect in a week. And a senior administration official who briefed reporters said work was underway that could broaden considerably the definition of indirect shipments. The new rules cover indirect shipments from anywhere, not just China. But China, with its massive factory infrastructure and expansive manufacturing ambition, has been the main country to develop a global network for such shipments. Trade experts were quick to predict that China would be the most affected — and the most annoyed. 'The trade provisions are a thinly veiled attempt to box in China — China will view them as such, and this will inevitably spill over into trade discussions with the United States,' said Stephen Olson, a former US trade negotiator who is now a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a research group in Singapore. Trump's executive order Thursday created a new category of imports: goods that are transshipped through other countries instead of coming straight from the country of origin. The 40 per cent tariffs on these goods will be on top of whatever tariffs would have applied if the goods had come directly from the country where they were originally made. The legal definition of transshipment is quite narrow: a good that did not undergo a 'substantial transformation' in the country through which it was indirectly shipped. Countries in Southeast Asia like Vietnam have long denied that they allow a lot of transshipment, and they have been tightening inspections to prevent it. They contend that their soaring imports of Chinese components are being assembled into new and different products that can appropriately be labeled as made in their countries, and not labeled 'made in China.' In addition to the new 40 per cent tariffs on transshipment, the Trump administration plans to put in place so-called rules of origin for indirect shipments in 'a few weeks,' the senior administration official said. Rules of origin are meant to assure importers that goods really were manufactured where their sellers say they were. To be effective, rules of origin must be written strictly, as they are for goods to qualify for free trade agreements with the United States. For example, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement, require that as much as 75 per cent of cars be manufactured in North America to qualify for duty-free treatment in crossing borders. Brad Setser, an official under the Obama and Biden administrations who is now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that setting rules of origin could make a big difference. 'The most significant long-term change from the Trump tariff barrage may be creating rules of origin that define the Chinese content,' he said. But other experts were less convinced that the Trump administration would set stringent rules, particularly when discussions have been underway for a possible summit this autumn between Trump and Xi Jinping, China's top leader. The Chinese government has called for the removal of tariffs on its exports and further tightened its considerable restrictions on the purchase of American goods. Workers at a clothing factory in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, where 60 percent of fabrics for manufacturing come from China. — NYT 'There is nothing in there about content from certain countries, and that is helpful because it means that they aren't risking the wrath of China at this point in time,' said Deborah Elms, the head of trade policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore. The first country-specific trade deal reached by Trump to tackle transshipment head on was one on July 2 with Vietnam. It included a 40 per cent provision on goods indirectly shipped from China. The provision has turned out to be a blueprint for a sweeping new strategy to limit China's role in the world's supply chain. But a month later, Vietnam has not publicly confirmed the transshipment provision. With the exception of Indonesia, transshipment tariffs also have not been featured in announcements of subsequent deals with other countries in Southeast Asia. In recent weeks, Trump has also modulated his strident tone on China. He reversed a previously hard-line position on the export of artificial intelligence chips to China. Not long after, he told the president of the Philippines that he didn't mind if the country got along with China because the United States also had a good relationship with China. For countries in Southeast Asia that had raced to placate Trump over the months since he first announced his reciprocal tariffs, the flip-flopping has created both a sense of uncertainty and a dose of cynicism about the new agreements they have with the United States. At the same time, many countries in Southeast Asia have explored ways to crack down on Chinese companies that reroute exports through their countries without doing any further processing. Governments in the region have streamlined customs practices and promised to quash counterfeit and illegal trade. They have given serious thought to reducing the amount of Chinese content in the products they assemble and export. Multinationals like Walmart account for a sizable share of US imports and have fairly detailed information on how their products are made. But some analysts question whether US Customs and Border Enforcement is capable of identifying whether packages really come from China. 'Enforcement is likely to be challenging, and even if outright rerouting is reduced, trade diversion will continue to dampen the impact of US tariffs on China's aggregate export performance,' Capital Economics, an economic analysis consulting firm, said in a research note. — The New York Times
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
South Korea reaches trade deal with Trump
SEOUL, South Korea — President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with South Korea on Wednesday, putting 15% tariffs on South Korean goods, much higher than they were just a few months ago but lower than Trump had threatened. Under the terms, South Korea will make $350 billion in investments in the United States and purchase $100 billion of liquefied natural gas. Trump said in a social media post that South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung, would visit Washington in two weeks to make further announcements. Trump had threatened to impose 25% tariffs on South Korea unless a deal was reached by Friday. In an important concession from Trump, South Korea's car exports will face 15% tariffs, down from the rate of 25% that the president had already imposed on cars from most of the world. The agreement follows other trade deals that have been concluded in Asia. Although many details remain to be hammered out, the White House has announced that goods from Japan and the European Union will face 15% tariffs, the Philippines and Indonesia 19%, and Vietnam 20%. Among the Asian countries still without agreements are Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand. India, a key American ally, is also without a deal, and Trump threatened it Wednesday with a 25% tariff. The Trump administration and China have agreed to a truce after inflicting sharp trade penalties on one another in the spring. Lee confirmed that South Korea had reached a trade deal with the United States. The deal 'removes uncertainty' over the country's export industries, he said in a social media post. Of the $350 billion that South Korea has pledged to invest in the United States, Lee said, $150 billion will be dedicated to helping South Korean companies entering the American shipbuilding industry. 'There aren't that many countries that can restore the shipbuilding capacity of the U.S., particularly given that China is a strategic rival,' said Seungjoo Lee, a professor of political science and international relations at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea. 'That's why the United States and Japan included cooperation on shipbuilding in the agreement, and in terms of capacity, South Korea is in a better position.' The rest of the funds will be used to help South Korea invest in the semiconductor, technology and energy sectors in the United States. Kim Yong-beom, the chief policy coordinator in Lee's office, said that South Korea had pushed for a 12.5% tariff 'until the very end' but Trump did not budge. 'The president said everyone is 15%,' he said at a news conference. It's been a long road for the South Koreans, who had to restart U.S. trade talks when a new government was elected in June. Lee received a reprieve five weeks into the job, when Trump extended his original July 9 deadline for a deal to Aug. 1. However, the country's negotiators had to compete for time with Trump administration officials who were attempting to conclude dozens of agreements at once on difficult issues such as market access for agricultural goods. Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Commerce Secretary, said in a social media post that tariffs on South Korean automobiles would be set at 15%, a rate that matches the levy recently imposed on cars from Japan and the European Union. He also said South Korea will 'not be treated any worse than any other country on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.' He said U.S. tariffs on imported steel, aluminum and copper would remain unchanged. South Korea's two semiconductor giants, SK Hynix and Samsung, have built factories in the United States with the help of subsidies granted under former President Joe Biden. Some other large South Korean manufacturing investments have seen declining prospects after Congress canceled electric vehicle subsidies. Lee had recently met with the leaders of several of his country's largest companies to discuss what they could bring to the table. Executives from Hyundai, Samsung, and Hanwha were in Washington this week, South Korean news outlets reported. Tami Overby, a partner at DGA Group Government Relations and previously president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, said the promised new investment was a concession to the reality that tariffs would make goods shipped from South Korea less competitive in the American market. 'I don't think they have a choice,' Overby said. 'I don't think any country has a choice. This is how the president has decided to do it, and you either get on board or you pay higher tariffs.' South Korea's economy is highly dependent on exports of goods and services, which accounted for 44% of its GDP in 2023. That's twice the rate of its neighbor Japan, another export-driven economy. South Korea ran a trade surplus of $66 billion with the United States in 2024, nearly four times what it was in 2018, when Trump revised the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement. The U.S. auto tariffs, previously set at 25% for nearly all imported vehicles, have eaten into the sales of major South Korean car brands. Profits at Hyundai declined 16% in the second quarter compared to the previous year, as the company has largely absorbed the costs of the duties so far. U.S. officials have been pushing South Korea to balance trade with the United States, open its market to U.S. exports, and walk back proposed digital regulations that are seen as benefiting South Korean giants over American tech firms. Trump did not mention anything about digital services. In his announcement, Trump said the $350 billion investment from South Korea would be 'owned and controlled by the United States, and selected by myself, as President,' and that South Korea 'will be completely OPEN TO TRADE with the United States, and that they will accept American product including Cars and Trucks, Agriculture, etc.' However, Kim, a government policy official, stated that the countries had not agreed to any changes to South Korea's rules regarding agricultural imports, particularly beef and rice. Farming is politically sensitive in South Korea, and the government has recently stated that it will draw a 'red line' and remove the country's beef and rice markets as a possible concession in trade talks. South Korea is the largest foreign market for U.S. beef. Still, the American cattle industry had demanded that the country lift its import restrictions on beef over 30 months old, which South Korea has banned since 2008 over concerns that it could introduce mad cow disease. Some of the issues between the allies, such as sharing defense costs, were not included in the deal, according to the South Korean government. The agreement was confined to trade issues, it said. Those other issues are expected to be discussed when the two presidents meet in the coming weeks. Trump, who called South Korea a 'money machine' last year, has spoken about using trade negotiations as a forum for asking the country to cover more of the costs of maintaining the U.S. military presence there, which includes approximately 28,500 troops. This article originally appeared in
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Substantial cut in tariffs in UK-India trade dea
The leading feature in the recent free trade agreement signed by the United Kingdom and India, during the visit by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UK, is the reduction of tariffs on a variety of goods from textiles to cars and furthermore, the deal allows market access for businesses. Talks on the trade agreement had already taken place in early May after three years of stop-start negotiations and both sides have been keen to seal the deal amid a turmoil of tariffs created over the months, by US President Donald Trump. This agreement between the world's fifth and sixth largest economies aims to increase bilateral trade by a further £25.5bn ($34bn) by 2040. It is the UK's biggest trade deal since it left the European Union in 2020. It is also India's biggest strategic partnership with an advanced economy and it could provide a template for a long-desired deal with the EU as well as for talks with other regions. Both sides hailed as historic a deal which will take effect following a ratification process, likely within a year after which firms such as drinks-maker Diageo and car companies such as BMW, Nissan, Aston Martin and Indian (Tata)-owned Jaguar Land Rover could benefit from lower duties. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India speak during a press conference after signing a free trade agreement at Chequers near Aylesbury, England. — Reuters UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there would be huge benefits for both countries, making trade cheaper, quicker and easier. 'We've entered a new global era, and that is one that requires us to step up, not to stand aside, by building deeper partnerships and alliances,' Starmer said in a statement. Modi called the agreement 'a blueprint for shared prosperity', highlighting how Indian goods from textiles to jewellery and seafood would secure better market access. The countries also agreed on a partnership covering areas such as defence and climate, and aim to strengthen co-operation on tackling crime. After spending three hours in talks with Starmer, Modi went to meet King Charles at his Sandringham estate. Under the trade agreement, tariffs on Scotch beverage will drop to 75 per cent from 150 per cent immediately, and slide to 40 per cent over the next decade. Tariffs on drinks such as brandy and rum will be cut to 110 per cent initially and end up at 75 per cent. On cars, India will cut duties to 10 per cent within five years from current level of up to 110 per cent under a quota system that will be gradually liberalised. In return, Indian manufacturers will gain access to the UK market for electric and hybrid vehicles, also under a quota system. Under the deal, 99 per cent of Indian exports to the UK will benefit from zero duties, including textiles, and Britain will have reductions on 90 per cent of its tariff lines, with the average tariff UK firms face dropping to 3 per cent from 15 per cent. But the projected boost to the UK economic output, of 4.8bn a year by 2040, is small compared to Britain's gross domestic product of 2.6bn in 2024. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has forecast that UK exports and imports will be about 15 per cent lower in the long run if Britain had stayed in the EU. The UK's Labour government, having been in power now for a year, has launched a reset of ties with the EU to smooth trade friction and won some tariff relief from the United States. The Confederation of Indian Industry called it a 'strong foundation for deeper market access.'
