What is needed to open a embassies in India? For the Indian man, H.V. Jain, who goes by the pseudonym “H.V. Baron”, it seems to be:
Rent a villa, raise several flags, park several luxury cars, and pose for photos with some national leaders to “act” as an ambassador.
This nearly eight-year long scam has finally come to an end with the raid conducted by the Indian police.
This week, the 47-year-old H.V. Jain was arrested in Gaziabad, a suburb of New Delhi, on charges of operating a fake “embassy” in a rented residential building. Under Jain’s manipulation, the building served as the “diplomatic mission” of various “miniature countries” according to different needs.
Fake seals, passports, photos, real luxury cars, watches
According to reports, the special task force in North India gained significant results during this operation. Senior officer Suhil Gole explained that the police seized a large amount of money and counterfeit items inside Jain’s fake embassy.
Four luxury cars with fake diplomatic plates, a collection of high-end watches, nearly 4.5 million Indian rupees (approximately 373,000 RMB), various foreign currencies, 18 fake diplomatic plates, 12 fake “diplomatic passports” representing different “miniature countries”, Jain’s fake photos with some national leaders,
and fake official seals from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India and 34 other countries.
Analysts point out that Jain exploited the vagueness of the concept of “miniature countries”. It is reported that there are people around the world who “draw their own territories and claim to be kings.” Some “countries” have areas only the size of a house, and their citizens are few, they are called “miniature countries”.
These entities claim sovereignty but are not recognized by the international community, thus lacking legal foundation.
Jain capitalized on this to create a “celebrity” image for himself. Sushil Gul stated, “A person lacking discernment would believe what they see and fail to recognize that all of it is a scam.”
The international money laundering and fraud case:
Colleagues conspired to defraud 70 million euros over three years, serving their sentence in Switzerland.
Under the guise of a “diplomat,” Jain engaged in a series of criminal activities. Not only did he lure people with promises of high-paying overseas jobs, but he also used approximately 16 companies registered in London to operate a vast network known as “Hawala,” an illegal underground banking system operating across borders.
Investigations revealed that Jain and his accomplice Ihsan Ali Saied had established numerous shell companies in locations such as the UK, Dubai, Mauritius, and Cameroon. He personally held at least 11 bank accounts worldwide, six of which were in Dubai, three in Mauritius, and the rest in London and India.
Ihsan Ali Saied, due to committing fraud by falsely providing loans and creating fake companies between 2008 and 2011, amounting to approximately 70 million euros (approximately 590 million RMB), was arrested in London in 2022 and extradited to Switzerland. He was sentenced by the Zurich court to six and a half years in prison for fraud. The Indian police are currently conducting a thorough investigation into Jain’s involvement in the case.
Following the exposure of the incident, one of the “miniature countries” impersonated by Jain, the “Grand Duchy of Vistacica,” quickly issued a statement on its official website. Its self-proclaimed “Travus Grand Duke” claimed that Jain was appointed as a “Honorary Consul” after making a “generous donation,” but he was merely an “authorized representative engaged in activities.” The statement emphasized that Jain has been removed from his “diplomatic representative roster,” and he is not authorized to produce any licenses or passports bearing the Vistacica seal.
Indian police records indicate that Jan is the son of a businessman, holding an MBA degree from a university in London. He has extensive travel experience and had established suspicious companies in multiple countries before returning to India.
Currently, Jan faces numerous serious charges including forgery, impersonation, possession of forged documents, and money laundering. The police have stated that the investigation is ongoing to ascertain the exact scope of his criminal activities and all involved parties.