Sunday 9 October 2011

Telgi Stamp Paper Scam

Abdul Karim Telgi, born in 1961is a convicted counterfeit for printing and selling fake stamp papers. Telgi started is life by selling fruits and vegetables in Indian Railways and later moved to Saudi Arabia. He returned to India after seven years and started his career in counterfeiting, originally focusing on fake passports.


The tentacles of the Telgi fake stamp and stamp paper scam, better known as the Telgi scam, has penetrated 12 states and is estimated at a whopping Rs 20,000 crore plus. In between the years of 1992 and 2002, 12 cases were registered against Abdul Kareem Telgi relating to counterfeit stamps in Maharashtra alone and 15 cases in other parts of the country, but the lack of serious action suggests that the scamster had mastered the technique of corrupting the system. The Telgi stamp paper scam is by no means a case of police corruption and political connivance helping an ingenious crook to set up a fast-growing dubious business in India. Telgi clearly had a lot of support from departments and institutions of government that are responsible for the production and sale of high security stamps.

Even more shocking is the fact that the Special Investigation Team’s enquiry report, better known as the Jaiswal report, had already asked these questions in November 2002, but no action has been initiated on the wider issues raised in the report. For instance, the Jaiswal Committee has asked why such a sensational economic crime with national and interstate ramifications should not have been entrusted to a specialised agency such as the CID (crime), the CBI, or at least to a dedicated team of officers with personal integrity and excellent record. It was only due to the public interest litigation filed by social activist Anna Hazare that the SIT investigation is now on course and has trapped several high ranking police officials, some inconsequential politicians and is soon likely to ensnare a couple of big political names.

Meanwhile, many questions remain unasked and counterfeit stamps probably continue to be sold across the country, because the distribution network of these fake stamp papers is untouched. The Jaiswal report has indicated clearcut connivance of officials of the India Security Press at Nasik, Maharashtra in the transfer of appropriate technology, including transfer of stamp designs and from original negatives; that the Security Press was completely infiltrated by unscrupulous elements. Yet, no heads have rolled at the Press, nor has any urgent action been initiated to overhaul its systems and procedures. Similarly, the failure of treasury department officials to notice the large-scale use of counterfeit stamps in Maharashtra to be investigated as well. What has been revealed so far is just the tip of the iceberg and many more faces have to come to light. The scam was so skillfully crafted keeping in mind the loop-holes and involvement with government officials that the investigation revealed only the name of Abdul Karim Telgi and no other individual.

Source Financial Express

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