

Paraguayan gov official duped into signing ‘proclamation’ with a fake country led by fugitive ‘guru’

A senior Paraguayan government official has been tricked into signing a “proclamation” with representatives of a fictitious country led by a fugitive who claims to have X-Ray vision and the ability to stop sunrises.
Arnaldo Chamorro, chief of staff for Paraguay’s agriculture ministry, told reporters Thursday he had been dismissed from his job after signing the Oct. 16 memorandum with purported officials from the “United States of Kailasa” — presented to him as a South American island.
Kailasa is the creation of a self-styled guru, Nithyananda Paramashivam, who stands accused of being a con artist wanted in India on several charges, including sexual assault and child abduction, according to the BBC.
He is believed to have fled that country in 2019 and his current whereabouts are unknown.
The document signed by both parties, complete with the ministry’s letterhead and official seal, included a salute from Chamorro to “the honorable Nithyananda Paramashivam, sovereign of the United States of Kailasa”.
Chamorro also praised Paramashivam for his “contributions to Hinduism, humanity and the Republic of Paraguay”.
He went on to recommend that the “government of Paraguay actively explore the establishment of diplomatic relations with the United States of Kailasa and supports its admission as a sovereign state to various international organizations, including the United Nations,” according to a copy of the agreement posted on social media.
“They [the “officials”] came and expressed a wish to help Paraguay. They presented several projects, we listened to them and that was that,” Chamorro later said, acknowledging that he had been duped.
Chamorro said the fake officials also met his minister Carlos Gimenez.
The agriculture ministry in a statement blamed “procedural errors” for the mistake and said the memorandum “cannot be considered official” nor confer any obligations on the state of Paraguay.
On Kailasa’s website, the fictional country is described as the “revival of the ancient enlightened Hindu civilizational nation which is being revived by displaced Hindus from around the world”.
The site claims that there are two billion practicing Hindus as part of the nation’s population, that it has its own flag, central bank and passport.
Earlier this year, representatives of Kailasa participated in two United Nations committee meetings in Geneva and also signed agreements with local leaders in the US and Canada, according to media reports.

In March, Newark City Hall in New Jersey acknowledged it had fallen prey to a similar scam when it signed a sister city agreement with Kailasa.
Paramashivam’s representatives are believed to have also fooled several other officials in the South American country where he is wanted for various alleged crimes.
A self-styled “godman,” Paramashivam is known for preaching about traditional Sanskrit text and Hindu scriptures, including the Bhagavad Gita, he’s also made many pseudoscientific and paranormal claims — such as having ESP and the ability to body scan (essentially, X-ray vision).
According to the Daily Beast, he’s got a million followers and claims to be able to heal the blind — by opening up a mystical third eye — and stop sunrises.
Followers have reportedly said that he has performed blessings to help adults grow up to three inches taller.
Paramashivam was the subject of a 2022 Discovery+ documentary called “My Daughter Joined a Cult,” in which one former member proclaims, “This is a cult and I’ve been duped.”
Other former members appearing in the series allege that their children were taken away from them by group leaders, and mothers can be seen standing outside of what is said to be Paramashivam’s ashram — screaming to be reunited with their kids.