'Westarctica': Man who ran fake embassy in Gzb bungalow held

For almost decade, you could head to a two-storey bungalow in Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar, where 47-year-old Harsha Vardhan Jain was allegedly (fraudulently) acting as the envoy for the micronations of Westarctica, Seborga and Lodonia, and the fictitious country of Pauloviathe first three insignificant and controversial specs on the world map, and the fourth a “virtual micronation”.

- Arun Singh and Rohit Kumar Singh

But the conman’s considerable luck ran out late on Tuesday after the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP-STF) arrested him from his rented accommodation in Ghaziabad. Police said that under the cover of a consulate, he allegedly undertook illegal activities, such as facilitating hawala transactions and helping domestic clients set up offshore companies and accounts.

He also allegedly used his stature as an “envoy” to assure people that he could get them jobs and university spots abroad on cash payments, investigators said.