Indian police: Man ran fake embassy in India

Indian police: Man ran fake embassy in India

Indian police have arrested a man accused of running a fake embassy from a rented apartment building near the capital New Delhi. During the search, several vehicles with fake diplomatic license plates were seized.

The suspect and his machinations

The suspect, Harshvardhan Jain, 47, posed as an ambassador and allegedly defrauded people of money by promising them a job abroad. This was reported by senior police officer Sushil Ghule from the special unit in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India.

Counterfeits and illegal activities

According to police, Jain claimed to work as a consultant or ambassador for organizations such as Seborga and Westarctica. A search of his premises uncovered numerous doctored photographs depicting Jain with world leaders, as well as fake seals from India's foreign ministry and nearly three dozen other countries, Ghule said.

Financial machinations and other crimes

Jain is also suspected of laundering money illegally through shell companies abroad. He also faces allegations of forgery, impersonation and possession of forged documents.

Looted funds and fake diplomacy

During the search of Jain's rented premises, four cars with fake diplomatic registration plates were seized, along with around 4.5 million Indian rupees (about US$52,095) and other foreign currencies in cash. The rooms were also decorated with international flags of different countries.

Neither Jain nor his lawyer could immediately be reached for comment.