Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court has granted bail to Harshvardhan Jain, accused of operating a fake diplomatic mission from a rented house in Ghaziabad’s Kavi Nagar locality.Justice Ashutosh Srivastava allowed the bail application of Jain, who has been in jail since July last year.“Considering all facts and circumstances, the nature of accusations, severity of the punishment in the case of conviction and nature of supporting evidence, reasonable apprehension of tampering with the witness and prima facie case, but without commenting on merit of case, a case for bail is made out. Accordingly, the bail application is allowed,” the court noted in its order dated April 2.Jain allegedly presented himself as a consul or ambassador of non-existent countries like Westarctica, Saborga, Poulvia and Lodonia. He was also found in possession of 34 counterfeit seals of various countries and companies. He was accused of using diplomatic number plates on his vehicles.Investigations revealed that Jain was allegedly acting as a broker, luring individuals and companies with false promises of overseas job placements. Authorities also suspect his involvement in a hawala racket run through shell companies.
