Police in India arrested Harshvardhan Jain in late July, alleging the 47-year-old was running a bogus embassy scam just outside of New Delhi.
Police recovered cars with fake diplomatic plates and claimed that Jain scammed money from people by promising overseas employment opportunities, senior police officer Sushil Ghule of Uttar Pradesh state’s special task force in northern India. Among the fake documents were 12 diplomatic passports.
While impersonating an ambassador, Jain is alleged to have represented Seborga, a self-proclaimed principality in the region of Liguria near the French border, and Westarctica, a micronation claiming territory in Antarctica.
Police also claimed to have located photos doctored to show Jain with world leaders and fake seals belonging to nearly three dozen countries, including the Indian foreign ministry.
The charges
He is now facing charges of forgery, impersonation, and possessing fake documents.
“He worked as a broker in the Gulf and African countries. When he returned to India in 2011, he resumed operations from his family home before shifting to the rented bungalow,” Indian police said.
The suspect is “part of an illegal arms trade network and [has] committed financial frauds in the garb of overseas firms,” The Hindu reported, citing the Uttar Pradesh police force.