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New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
A nation of one: Ghaziabad ‘fake embassy' case shines light on micronations and legal grey zones
LUCKNOW: A bizarre fraud case uncovered in Ghaziabad, near Delhi, has thrown the spotlight on the little-known world of "micronations" — self-declared entities that mimic the structures of real countries but lack legal recognition. The Uttar Pradesh police is also at its wits' end as it faces a unique case with no precedence to follow. The UP Special Task Force on July 22 arrested 47-year-old Harsh Vardhan Jain from Ghaziabad for running "embassies" of four micronations — Westarctica, Seborga, Poulbia and Ladonia — from a rented house. Claiming to be their "ambassador," Jain possessed forged diplomatic plates, luxury cars and official seals. Police are probing alleged overseas job scams, hawala links and counterintelligence activities. Custody plea is pending in court. They are also examining statements by Westarctica and Seborga for possible use in the investigation. "The problem is that there is no reference point for us also to deal with cases that involve something called a micronation," a senior UP police officer told PTI. "The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is our medium for correspondence in cases that go beyond the territories of India, and here, these unrecognised entities don't have such a legal system in place," the officer said, noting the complexities of the matter. The case not only exposed lapses in local intelligence systems but also turned attention to the peculiar world of micronations — a concept still largely outside academic and legal frameworks in India. According to a 2014 research paper 'Islands and Micronationality' by academic Philip Hayward, "Micronations are largely notional entities. They are territories that have been declared independent by individuals or groups despite the minimal likelihood of their being recognised as independent by any established nation state or international body."
The Print
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Micronation drama unfolds, Westarctica's ‘grand duke' suspends Ghaziabad man as ‘representative'
'As an Honorary Consul, he was not authorised to create these items. The government of Westarctica, itself, does not utilise number plates or passports and we have never permitted or encouraged our representatives to do so themselves,' he said. 'Our deputy foreign minister Chris Watson is looking into the matter and we are fully cooperating with the legal authorities in India,' McHenry said in a statement on YouTube. He said Jain violated their rules by being in possession of passports, use of diplomatic number plates with the seal of Westarctica. New Delhi: Days after Ghaziabad-resident Harsh Vardhan Jain was arrested for running a fake embassy of 'micronations', the self-proclaimed grand duke of unrecognised micronation Westarctica, Travis McHenry, has removed Jain from the 'roster' of its 'diplomatic representatives' and said he will also face sanction from the 'crown'. The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) Tuesday evening raided Jain's rented bungalow in Ghaziabad which he'd been successfully passing off as the 'embassy' of 'Seborgia, Poulbia, Lodonia and Westarctica' for eight years. Fake passports in Jain's name including diplomatic passports with the name of the micronations, Rs 44.70 lakh in cash, along with other forged Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) documents were found by the investigators. Multiple ID cards, rubber stamps, luxury cars with 'diplomatic registration plates' were also recovered. A press statement hosted on a purported Westarctica website says, 'Westarctica was originally founded in 2001 by American citizen Travis McHenry while he was working as an intelligence analyst in the United States Navy. Mr. McHenry later incorporated Westarctica as a charitable corporation in 2014 and it was granted 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in 2018'. 'The organization's primary mission is advocacy for the environment of Western Antarctica, especially the West Antarctic Ice Sheet,' the statement adds. Also Read: Indians zoom past China on private jets, tale of the fake embassy & world's 2nd biggest IPO market 'Honorary consul' It also mentions that Jain (47) had in 2016 made a 'generous donation to Westarctica' and was subsequently invited to join their team of international volunteers who advance their environmental and charitable mission in their home countries. He then got the title of the 'Honorary Consul to India' but was never appointed its 'ambassador'. 'We are also conducting a full audit of our Honorary Consular Corps to ensure that no similar bad actors are present among our ranks. This unfortunate event, while casting a shadow over Westarctica's important environmental advocacy work, does not represent the values or spirit of our organization,' the statement added. 'As a result of his unauthorised activities, Mr. Jain has been indefinitely suspended as a representative of our organisation,' the statement said. The Westarctica website lists a prime minister, Duke of Steventon Brendan Cook, and says he was elected in 2023. It also mentions a foreign minister, a minister of communications, a minister of culture, a minister of citizenship and a minister of defense. Micronations are self-proclaimed entities that identify as sovereign States but aren't recognised by countries including India and even multilateral bodies, like the United Nations. Regardless, Microcons—summits of micronationalists— have been held. One such summit was held reportedly in 2015 where self-proclaimed kings, queens, dukes and barons of such micronations gathered. This meeting was hosted by the president of Molossia, reportedly their first world summit. Jain, as ThePrint had reported earlier, was a follower of the controversial self-proclaimed 'godman' Chandraswami who was also known for his proximity to former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. Jain, who allegedly had ties to the UAE-based international arms dealer late Adnan Khashoggi, is also linked to Turkish citizen of Indian origin Ehsan Ali Syed. According to the STF, Syed, a Hyderabad-born entrepreneur, is accused of financial fraud and was sentenced by a Zurich court to 6.5 years in prison for fraud and absconding after taking brokerage money in the name of getting loans for 16 companies. The late Chandraswami had allegedly sent Jain to London to meet Syed. Jain allegedly formed several shell companies in London in collaboration with him. Sources said Jain too was involved in these brokerage deals and had given donations to Westarctica with it. The STF said in a statement that Syed's company—Western Advisory Group, based in Switzerland and Bahrain—took a brokerage of 26 million pounds in the name of getting a loan of 70 million pounds to several Swiss-based companies between 2008 and 2011 and fled from there. On 22 November, 2022, the London police arrested him on the request of the Swiss government. On 4 July 2023, the Westminster court approved his extradition to Switzerland in the fraud case. Investigators said that multiple bank accounts including some overseas—six in Dubai, three in the UK, one in Mauritius—have been found linked to Jain. Moreover, authorities have also found trading companies run by Jain, used in financial crimes. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: 'Westarctica envoy' running Ghaziabad 'embassy' made 100 foreign trips in last 20 yrs—UP STF
