Newark officials rescinded a sister city agreement with the United States of Kailasa after finding out it wasn’t actually a real place. Reporter Sushmita Pathak explains how a fugitive cult leader from India created a fake nation that conned everyday people, government officials, and the UN.

This episode was produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Amina Al-Sadi and Amanda Lewellyn, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Noel King.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained  

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