Harsha Vardhan Jain, 47, the self-proclaimed ambassador of the unrecognised micronation Westarctica, is the son of a prominent Ghaziabad industrialist and an MBA from London who befriended the self-styled Godman Chandraswami and international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, officials said.
He used his dubious credentials as a diplomat to commit fraud, broker deals and carry out hawala transactions, said a senior Uttar Pradesh Special Task official privy to the investigation after Jain was arrested on Tuesday.
Harsh Vardhan Jain completed his BBA from Ghaziabad and MBA from London, said UP Police additional director general (ADG), Law and Order, Amitabh Yash.
“His father JD Jain, was a prominent industrialist who owned the Jain Rolling Mill in Ghaziabad and marble mines in Rajasthan. He worked in these mines and was involved in exporting marble to London initially.”
“In 2000, Harshvardhan came in contact with Chandraswami, who introduced him to arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and Ehsan Ali Sayed in London. He created over a dozen companies with (London-based Indian businessman) Ehsan Ali Sayed, which were used for brokering deals. In 2006, Harshvardhan moved to Dubai and created more companies with Shafiq and Ibrahim Ali-bin, through which he brokered deals and earned a significant income,” the ADG said.
“In 2012, the Ghaziabad police found a satellite phone in Harshvardhan’s possession, leading to a case being registered against him at Kavi Nagar police station,” shared a senior STF official privy to the investigation.
{{/usCountry}}“In 2012, the Ghaziabad police found a satellite phone in Harshvardhan’s possession, leading to a case being registered against him at Kavi Nagar police station,” shared a senior STF official privy to the investigation.
{{/usCountry}}Jain also claimed to be advisor to Seborga, a micronation and self-proclaimed principality in the region of Liguria near the French border in 2012, the official said. Administratively, it is a commune of the Italian province Imperia. He claimed to be an unpaid ambassador to Westarctica in 2016.
The official said the accused claimed to have travelled to several countries in the Gulf and Africa for business purposes.
He stated that the investigation revealed that Harsha Vardhan was running a fake diplomatic mission from his residence in Ghaziabad, using diplomatic number plates on vehicles and displaying flags of various countries and micronations.
“We are investigating his involvement in arms dealing, as he was in contact with Khashoggi,” UP-STF additional superintendent of police Raj Kumar Mishra said, according to a report from Ghaziabad.
He allegedly morphed photos showing him with a former President and Prime Minister. “Those photos were found to be fake, but the ones with Chandraswami and Khashoggi were genuine,” Mishra said.
Jain’s family refused to comment during HT’s visit.
Locals said that they were shocked to see how he managed a luxurious life without getting caught..