Today's Edition
NEW DELHI (dpa)
Indian police have shut down a fake embassy in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh that has operated for years, according to the head of the responsible police unit.
Police moved on the "embassy" in Ghaziabad, a city in the west of the state, arresting its 47-year-old operator for claiming to represent four "micronations" - Westarctica, Landonia, Seborga, and Poulo Wai.
The man is accused of taking money from people in return for promises of finding them jobs abroad. He is also said to have used his fake embassy to transfer money illegally through an informal banking system.
Seborga is a village in northern Italy that regards itself as a principality.
Ladonia in southern Sweden declared itself independent in 1996 as a refuge for artistic freedom. It measures a total of 1 square kilometre of beach and owes its origin to a legal dispute over sculptures made of driftwood.
Poulo Wai is a made-up entity, India Today reported.
The fake embassy was established in an upmarket part of Ghaziabad, where police found four luxury cars with false diplomatic number plates.
Officers also seized fake passports, tax papers and large sums of cash in both rupees and foreign currencies.
Indian broadcaster NDTV reported that reports of the Westarctica consulate general had circulated on social media a few days before police moved in.
In them, the fake ambassador introduced himself as Baron HV Jain, claiming to have run the consulate for eight years.
