Jain & the art of diplomatic immunity
Meet Harsh Vardhan Jain, the man who turned a rented house into a diplomatic Disneyland for fictional nations like Westarctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Ladonia, countries so obscure even Google Maps would shrug and say, "Bhai, yeh kahan hai?"It was a Tuesday, July 22, when the Noida unit of the UP STF, acting on a tip-off from central agencies, swooped in like a hawk on a particularly delusional pigeon. They found Jain, the mastermind of this micronation madness, strutting about as the "Ambassador" of these make-believe lands.He had four luxury cars decked out with fake diplomatic plates, because nothing screams "I'm legit" like a second-hand Merc with a dodgy licence plate. Add to that a haul of 12 "diplomatic passports" for his fantasy nations, forged documents stamped with the seal of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), two fake PAN cards, 34 rubber stamps of various countries and companies, and two counterfeit press cards.He also had Rs 44.7 lakh in cash just so minor inconveniences came knocking. A stash of foreign currency that could fund a small coup in Poulvia, if it were a real country.Jain, a Ghaziabad resident with a rap sheet that includes a 2011 case for possessing an illegal satellite phone, had a knack for playing dress-up. He allegedly morphed photos of himself with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, and other global bigwigs to convince gullible folks he was a diplomatic heavyweight."Look, here I am with Modi ji, shaking hands like we're planning a G20 summit in Mordor Midlands!" you can almost hear him say. He targeted dreamers desperate for jobs abroad and companies chasing overseas deals. Jain promised them visas to the countries he had invented. STF suspects he ran a suspected hawala racket through shell companies to keep the cash flowing.Now, let's look at some of his "micronations". Westarctica? Sounds like a rejected Marvel villain hideout. Saborga, Poulvia, Ladonia? They're not even on the dark web's travel itinerary. A micronation, for the uninitiated, is a self-declared "country" that no government or international body recognises. They are like a WhatsApp group declaring itself a sovereign state.advertisementJain, however, sold these as real destinations, complete with "diplomatic" credentials. He even styled himself as Westarctica's "Baron," which is less a title and more a cry for help.In a country where bureaucracy is a blood sport, Jain's hustle is both laughable and oddly admirable. He forged MEA seals, instead of some low-level patwari's. He knew few cops dare to stop and extort from diplomats so he got the vehicular equivalent of sticking a "VIP" sticker on your scooter. Jain's plan worked, at least for a while, because India loves a good story.Tell someone you're an ambassador with a selfie next to Modi ji, and they'll hand over their life savings faster than you can say "visa approved."So, what's next? An FIR's been lodged at Kavi Nagar police station, and the STF is digging deeper. Jain's embassy of nowhere is crumbling, but the question lingers: how did he pull this off for so long?Maybe it's because, in Delhi, we're so used to embassies and CD numberplates, a fake embassy feels like just another Tuesday.The problem is Jain opened one in Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad. Had this been in South Delhi, he would be having a nice lunch at Habitat with a fellow diplomat. Because diplomats and consuls are all over the markets, only god and Delhi Police know how many are of countries invented by Jain's fellow diplomats.- EndsTrending Reel
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