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First Post
36 minutes ago
- Politics
- First Post
Ghaziabad fake embassy scandal: Westarctica and the world of micronations
A 45-year-old man in Ghaziabad was pulling off a unique scam by pretending to be the 'ambassador' of Westarctica, an unrecognised micronation in Antarctica. A raid by the Uttar Pradesh Police at the house he claimed was the official embassy busted his con. The case has put the spotlight on micronations. What are they? read more A man has been arrested in Ghaziabad for running a fake embassy and conning people. News18 The Uttar Pradesh Police have busted a fake embassy in Ghaziabad. A 45-year-old man, identified as Harsh Vardhan Jain, was allegedly running a scam from a two-storey house in Kavi Nagar, claiming to be the 'ambassador' of Westarctica, an unrecognised micronation in Antarctica. According to the Noida unit of the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force (STF), the man conned people using forged Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) documents and promises of international deals. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While his embassy was not real, Westarctica is. The incident has brought micronations to the limelight. But what are these? We will explain. What are micronations? Micronations are 'wannabe' states whose representatives claim to belong to an independent nation or sovereign state. However, these political entities are neither recognised by any sovereign state nor under international law. The 'rulers' or founders of these micronations are motivated by philosophical experiment, political protest, entertainment or artistic expression, and sometimes by criminal activity. A lack of legal basis has, however, not stopped these micronations from creating their own coins, postage stamps, national anthems, flags and even passports. Dozens of micronations have emerged since the 1960s. American writer Leicester Hemingway founded New Atlantis in 1964 by constructing a bamboo raft with steel, iron piping, and rock, six miles off the coast of Jamaica. He claimed it was an island with full sovereignty. The raft was ultimately destroyed by a cyclone. There are micronations that still exist, such as the Principality of Sealand. It is an offshore platform in the North Sea used by the British military during World War II. Paddy Roy Bates, a former soldier, took up HM Fort Roughs in 1967 and later declared its independence. He later named it the Principality of Sealand, with its own flag, money, national anthem, stamps and football team. Australia has many micronations, with its first being the Principality of Hutt River founded in 1970. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Republic of Lamb is an island off the coast of Scotland purchased by popular spoon bender and legendary 'psychic' Uri Geller. He offers citizenship, with all proceeds going to Save a Child's Heart, an Israeli charity which treats children with heart conditions globally. In a picture taken on May 27, 2010 Emperor George II of Atlantium, a micronation, displays the 25 imperial solidi note featuring a portrait of himself (top) in Sydney. File Photo/AFP Another micronation is the Republic of Minerva, an artificial island built over disputed coral reefs between the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga. The Royal Republic of Ladonia was created in 1986 by artist Lars Vilks to protest local authorities in southern Sweden's Kullaberg, who deemed the two large sculptures he built in an inaccessible nature reserve illegal. Ladonia, which is ruled by Queen Carolyn, promotes freedom of expression, art and creativity. Kailasa, the so-called country founded by self-styled godman Nithyananda, who is wanted in India for rape and abduction, is also a micronation. Nithyananda purchased an island off the coast of Ecuador, which he claims as 'Kailasa', as per BBC. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How serious are micronations? The creators or founders of these mock nations know these entities are not 'real'. But they still have fun and sometimes use the opportunity to protest. 'They are very serious about this. Pretending to be a king or a president takes a lot of effort. I think the psychological strength you need to do this constantly when no one recognises you must be quite difficult. But generally speaking, it is for fun. A lot of them also do it as a way to build a community,' Harry Hobbs, co-author of How to Rule Your Own Country: The Weird and Wonderful World of Micronations, told Forbes in 2023. He added: 'I think the best ones are really designed for a clear political purpose. There's the famous Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands. They seceded from Australia to protest legislation banning same-sex marriage and formed a gay and lesbian kingdom. They sailed to an island in the Great Barrier Reef, planted a flag, and set up a country.' However, pretending to rule a sovereign state is not fun when reality hits. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In 2002, Vilks received applications from migrants and refugees from across the globe for citizenship, believing Ladonia to be a real country. The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands also got letters from queer people in other country who needed asylum. Ghaziabad man's con as 'ambassador' of many micronations The UP STF has arrested Harsh Vardhan Jain after a raid for running a fake embassy in Ghaziabad. The man converted a house in Kavi Nagar, surrounding it with high-end cars, and claimed it to be the official embassy of Westarctica. The Grand Duchy of Westarctica is a 620,000-square-mile tract of land in western Antarctica. It has its 'royal head of state' — the Grand Duke Travis, a flag, currency, and over 2,500 'citizens'. 'Jain claimed to be the consul or ambassador of Westarctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Ladonia — none of which are recognised as sovereign nations," SSP Sushil Ghule, who led the STF raid, told the media. 'He used diplomatic insignias and paraphernalia to create an illusion of official legitimacy," he added. UP Police busts fake '#Westarctica' #embassy in Ghaziabad! A man posing as a diplomat arrested in a bizarre international scam@_anshuls brings you the ground report#Ghaziabad | @Poonam_Burde — News18 (@CNNnews18) July 23, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jain morphed photographs of himself with world leaders, including prime ministers and presidents, and used credentials with forged seals of the MEA. 'He used the guise of diplomacy to influence businessmen, promise them access to international markets, and run a hawala network through shell companies,' the UP police said in its statement. The fake embassy helped Jain scam people seeking foreign investment or work permits, as per the police. Jain is alleged to have pocketed large sums from private individuals and companies, promising them special diplomatic permissions or international licenses. The UP STF seized Rs 44.7 lakh in cash, foreign currency from several countries, and four high-end luxury vehicles, all bearing fake diplomatic number plates. Forged diplomatic passports and MEA seals were also recovered. With inputs from agencies
India Today
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
UP Police's road safety post has a Saiyaara twist featuring Ahaan and Aneet
The Uttar Pradesh Police issued a witty advisory on road safety in a post on X that featured a scene from Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda's make the post intriguing enough, UP Police edited a scene from Saiyaara where the lead actors are seen with helmets on a street in order to send across a message on road safety."Helmet peheniye, Saiyaara ko bhi pehnaiye, varna romance se pehele hi roadmap badal sakta hai. Mohabbat mein safety zaroori hai (Wear a helmet, make Saiyaara wear one too, otherwise, the roadmap might change before the romance begins. Safety is essential in love),' the caption of the post the post here:,!#RoadSafety #SaiyaaraWithHelmet#Saiyaara UP POLICE (@Uppolice) July 23, 2025 Several social media users were impressed by UP Police's unique take on the Saiyaara-style awareness post. "We should appreciate UP Police's creativity," a user said, while another added, "What creativity.""Got to give credit to UP Police. They dug up something from nowhere," another user the comments here:Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri, released on July 18 and dominated the box office in no time. The film has collected over Rs 130 crore so far.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Fake stamps, currency, diplomatic license plates: How a man ran fake embassy for 'West Arctica' from Ghaziabad
NEW DELHI: A man running a fake embassy out of a rented house in has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF). The accused, Harsh Vardhan Jain, was pretending to be a diplomat from a made-up country called "West Arctica," a senior official said on Wednesday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Jain, a resident of Kavi Nagar in Ghaziabad, was caught on Tuesday. According to the preliminary investigation by STF's Noida unit, he was tricking people and companies by promising them job placements in foreign countries. He is also suspected of being involved in a hawala racket through fake shell companies. To make himself look genuine, Jain used digitally edited photos of himself with top Indian leaders like the prime minister and the president. This helped him gain people's trust. "Following the standard operating procedure, the pilots informed the authorities and returned the aircraft to bay," the airline added. Additional Director General of Police Amitabh Yash said, "The accused was running the bogus embassy from a rented house and projected himself as a consul or ambassador of non-existent countries such as West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Lodonia." Jain even used cars with fake diplomatic number plates to appear more authentic. During questioning, it was revealed that he had connections in the past with controversial godman Chandraswami and international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. He was earlier booked in 2011 for illegally possessing a satellite phone. The STF found and seized: Four vehicles with fake diplomatic number plates 12 forged diplomatic passports from the fake micronations Fake documents with the ministry of external affair's seal Two fake PAN cards 34 rubber stamps of different countries and organizations Two fake press cards Rs 44.7 lakh in cash Foreign currency Papers linked to shell companies 18 fake diplomatic plates An FIR has been registered at the Kavi Nagar police station. Officials said more investigation is going on to uncover the full scale of the scam.
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First Post
5 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
UP Police busts fake 'Westarctica' embassy in Ghaziabad, arrests man posing as ambassador
The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested a man for running a fake embassy of 'Westarctica' in Ghaziabad. The STF said that the man, identified as Harsh Vardhan, had been pretending to be a diplomat and operated vehicles with fake diplomatic number plates. read more Two of the four cars with fake diplomatic numberplates recovered from a fake embassy of Westarctica busted by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Ghaziabad, UP, India. (Photo: ANI screengrab) The Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested a man for running a fake embassy in the state's Ghaziabad district and pretending to be an ambassador. The UP Police's Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday cracked down on the fake embassy of 'Grand Duchy of Westarctica' in Ghaziabad's Kavi Nagar area. The STF arrested a man identified as Harsh Vardhan for running the fake embassy, posing as an ambassador, and operating cars with fake diplomatic number plates. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Westarctica is a 'micronation' that claims sovereignty over Marie Byrd Land in western Antarctica. No country or international organisation like the United Nations (UN) has recognised Westarctica as a sovereign state. Micronations are self-declared entities that claim to be sovereign states and have their own flag, constitution, currencies, and leaders, and usually comprise small territories like a farmhouse. However, they do not have any international recognition. STORY | UP STF busts fake embassy in Ghaziabad, man running 'West Arctica' consulate held READ: VIDEO: (Full video available on PTI Videos - — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 23, 2025 The STF has found that Harsh used edited photos showing him with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu to fool people into believing that he was indeed a diplomat, according to CNN-News 18. Other than Westarctica, Harsh claimed to be a diplomat of micronations Seborga, Polynivia, and Ladonia. Fake embassy, fake passports, fake ambassador and a real fraudster Harsh used to run the fake embassy of Westarctica from the address of KB-35 Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad. The STF has found multiple vehicles from his possession that had fake blue numberplates — such numberplates are only used by diplomatic vehicles accredited by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Notably, one cannot open an embassy, high commission, or function as a diplomat without being accredited by the Union government. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The STF also recovered Rs 44,70,000 in cash, currency of various countries, blue numberplates of 20 countries, and four cars with blue numberplates, among other things, from his possession, according to Dainik Jagran. The STF cracked down on Harsh after receiving information that people were being duped by an embassy functioning in Kavi Nagar of Ghaziabad, as per the newspaper. The STF cracked down on the fake embassy after confirming with central authorities that it was indeed a fake embassy and Harsh was a fraud, the report said. As per the report, Harsh had been taking money from people with the promise of giving them jobs abroad and had even got people fake diplomatic passports of Seborga.
New Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Cops bust fake embassy in Ghaziabad; man running 'West Arctica' consulate arrested
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force has unearthed a fake embassy operating in Ghaziabad and has arrested a man who ran the "consulate" while claiming to be a diplomat of non-existent "West Arctica", a senior official said on Wednesday. The accused, Harsh Vardhan Jain, a resident of Kavi Nagar in Ghaziabad, was arrested on Tuesday. According to the STF's Noida unit, preliminary investigations suggest that Jain was engaged in brokering deals by falsely promising job placements for companies and individuals in foreign countries. He is also suspected to be involved in running a hawala racket through shell companies, the agency said, adding the accused used morphed photos showing him with the prime minister, the president, and other dignitaries to mislead people. Additional Director General of Police Amitabh Yash said the accused was running the bogus embassy from a rented house and projected himself as a consul or ambassador of non-existent countries such as West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Lodonia, and moved around in vehicles bearing fake diplomatic number plates. Interrogation revealed that the accused had associations with controversial godman Chandraswami and international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi in the past. In 2011, Jain was booked in a case related to the recovery of an illegal satellite phone. Following his arrest on Tuesday, four vehicles bearing fake diplomatic number plates, 12 forged diplomatic passports of the so-called micronations, fake documents stamped with the seal of the Ministry of External Affairs, two forged PAN cards, 34 rubber stamps of various countries and companies and two fake press cards have been seized. The STF also recovered Rs 44.7 lakh in cash, foreign currency, documents related to multiple companies, and 18 fake diplomatic number plates. An FIR has been lodged at Kavi Nagar police station, and further proceedings are underway, the agency said.
