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Indian police arrest man running ‘fake embassy’

Indian police arrest man running ‘fake embassy’
Indian police keep vigil along a street in Srinagar on May 1, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 26 July 2025

Indian police arrest man running ‘fake embassy’

Indian police arrest man running ‘fake embassy’
  • According to police, the man claimed to be the ambassador of fictional nations “like West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, Lodonia”
  • He allegedly used vehicles with fake diplomatic plates and shared doctored photos of himself with Indian leaders to bolster his claims

NEW DELHI: Police in India have arrested a man accused of running a fake embassy from a rented house near New Delhi and duping job seekers out of money with promises of overseas employment.
Harsh Vardhan Jain, 47, was operating an “illegal West Arctic embassy by renting a house” in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, which neigbhours the capital, local police said.
Jain, according to police, claimed to be the ambassador of fictional nations “like West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, Lodonia.”
He allegedly used vehicles with fake diplomatic plates and shared doctored photos of himself with Indian leaders to bolster his claims.
“His main activities involved acting as a broker to secure work in foreign countries for companies and private individuals, as well as operating a hawala (money transfer) racket through shell companies,” the police said in a statement following his arrest earlier this week.
He is also accused of money laundering.
During a raid on Jain’s property, police said they recovered $53,500 in cash in addition to doctored passports and forged documents bearing stamps of India’s foreign ministry.
AFP was unable to reach Jain or his representatives for comment.
Westarctica, cited by the police as one of the countries Jain claimed to be representing, is a US-registered nonprofit “dedicated to studying and preserving this vast, magnificent, desolate region” of Western Antarctica.
In a statement, it said it had appointed Jain as its “Honorary Consul to India” after he had made a “generous donation.”
“He was never granted the position or authority of ambassador,” it added.


Jonathan Bailey named People magazine’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive

Jonathan Bailey named People magazine’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive
Updated 04 November 2025

Jonathan Bailey named People magazine’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive

Jonathan Bailey named People magazine’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive
  • Bailey takes the mantle from “The Office” star John Krasinski, who was the 2024 selection
  • The 37-year-old had audiences swooning as Prince Fiyero in his 2024 big-screen debut in “Wicked,” the popular movie musical

Something has changed for “Wicked” star Jonathan Bailey, something is not the same — he is People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025.
The magazine’s pick was announced Monday night on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Bailey takes the mantle from “The Office” and “Jack Ryan” star John Krasinski, who was the 2024 selection.
“It’s a huge honor,” Bailey, 37, told the magazine. “Obviously, I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd.”
Bailey had audiences swooning as Prince Fiyero in his 2024 big-screen debut in “Wicked,” the popular movie musical in which he proudly urges fellow students to join him in his shallowness. The second half arrives in theaters Nov. 21.
He dripped with charm as Lord Anthony Bridgerton on Netflix’s “Bridgerton,” and earned a 2024 Emmy nomination for his role in the Showtime series “Fellow Travelers.” Most recently, he starred in “Jurassic World Rebirth,” which came out in July.
Bailey told Fallon that the title was an “honor of a lifetime.”
“I’m sort of thrilled that People magazine have invited someone in – bestowed this honor on someone who can really cherish the value of a sexy man,” he said.
Bailey told People that he’s known he wanted to be an actor since he was 5 years old and his grandmother took him to see a production of the musical “Oliver!” Within two years he had achieved that dream, preforming with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The first Sexiest Man Alive was Mel Gibson in 1985. Other past recipients include Brad Pitt, George Clooney, John F. Kennedy Jr., David Beckham, Michael B. Jordan, John Legend, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Rudd, Pierce Brosnan and Patrick Dempsey.
Bailey, who will be the cover story in People’s edition coming out Friday, had to stay tight-lipped about the news. But he admitted to the magazine that he couldn’t keep it a complete secret — he shared to news with his dog Benson, who will also be featured in the magazine.