Officials from the city of Newark, New Jersey, have admitted that they were duped into becoming a “sister city” with a fake Hindu nation that claimed to exist off the coast of Ecuador.
The city’s mayor, Ras Baraka, invited representatives of “Kailasa” to Newark’s City Hall for a “cultural trade agreement,” in January, according to WCBS-TV. The problem they ran into was that “Kailasa” is not a real country, and, thus, has nothing to trade.
What “Kailasa” is, according to NJ.com, is the fabrication of a con man and fugitive from India who is called Swami Nithyananda.
Footage from the sister city ceremony shows city officials signing documents and taking photographs.
The agreement with Kailasa lasted six days, Newark officials said, before being dissolved as “baseless and void”.
“Although this was a regrettable incident, the city of Newark remains committed to partnering with people from diverse cultures in order to enrich each other with connectivity, support and mutual respect,” a city spokesperson said, adding that no money had changed hands.
According to the Kailasa website, the partnership with Newark will help to bring “a greater vision of world peace.”
“Today indeed marks an important beginning of collaboration between the United States of KAILASA and the City of Newark to further advance the broader bilateral agenda for a greater vision of world peace. With this protocol bilateral relations KAILASA looks forward to bringing its humanitarian services to the city of Newark and serve its community.”
Nithyananda had been a fugitive from justice since 2019, when he was charged with rape and child abduction charges, according to reports from Indian news outlets. Nithyananda has denied the accusations.