Telgi Scam Timeline

Agency: DNA

Aug 9, 2000: Bangalore city police arrest two persons on charge of being in possession of fake stamp and stamp paper.
Investigations led to seizure of fake stamps and stamp papers valued at Rs9.92 crore. Telgi’s name surfaces in investigation.

Nov 2001: Telgi arrested in Ajmer, Rajasthan by Bangalore city police team. He is lodged in Bangalore central prison. Apparently
with help of prison staff, Telgi continued to run his camp from jail.

Jan 2002: SM Krishna government constituted STAMPIT headed by R Sri Kumar, addition director general of police with 11 years’
CBI experience to probe the Telgi case.

June 13, 2003: Assistant Inspector Dilip Kamat was arrested for providing facilities to Telgi in police custody.

July 1, 2003: Sitting MLA Anil Gote from Dhule district of Maharashtra is arrested

August 21, 2003: Senior Inspector Dattatrya Dhal of the Mumbai crime branch Unit IV was arrested for aiding and abetting Telgi.
Dhal was one of the investigating officers in the scam in Mumbai.Telgi’s lawyer Rasheed Kulkarni was also arrested by the
Karnataka police in August for aiding and abetting his client in the scam.

September 6, 2003: Krishna Yadav, former labour minister of Andhra Pradesh and sitting MLA, is arrested.

October 18, 2003: Assistant Commissioner of Police Gokul Bhagaji Patil of the state intelligence department is arrested. Inspector
Vashist Andale of Sahar airport and Sub-Inspector Prabhakar Kakade of Nalasopara police station are also arrested.

November 7, 2003: Shridhar Vagal, joint commissioner of state intelligence department, is arrested.

November 9, 2003: Sub-inspector Digamber V Jangale from Wagle Estate police station of Thane and Assistant Inspector
Leeladhar Nimade from Nashik police are arrested.

November 10, 2003: SIT nabs sub-inspector SR Dalvi attached to the Versova police station for his alleged role in the fake stamp
paper case.

December 1, 2003: Former Mumbai police commissioner RS Sharma is arrested

December 2, 2003: Assistant Commissioner of Police RB Yenam of Navi Mumbai police commissionerate is arrested for shielding
Telgi.

December 4, 2003: Retired Pune Assistant Commissioner of Police Mohammed Chand Mulani is arrested.

December 8, 2003: Former Deputy Superintendent of Stamps Babanrao Tukaram Ranjane is arrested

December 10, 2003: PN Jayasimha, former superintendent of Central Jail at Parapana Agrahara and principal of Prison Training
School in Mysore, and assistant jail superintendent Nanjappa are arrested

December 20, 2003: Inspector Puran Singh, posted in the District Investigating Unit (DIU) of South District, is arrested by the
Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch. Also Rehan Baig, brother of Karnataka Small Scale Industries
Minister Roshan Baig, surrenders to STAMPIT

December 24, 2003: API GW Jhadav of the Mumbai police is arrested

January 5, 2004: Stamp Superintendent Ramdas Potale is arrested

January 7, 2004: Deputy Commissioner of Police Pradeep Sawant is arrested for shielding Telgi.

January 24, 2004: Assistant Commissioner of Police Sangram Singh; Inspector, City Crime Branch, Val Basha; Sub-Inspector VA
Khan; and Deputy Superintendent of Police KM Muddaiah are suspended by Karnataka government.

February 2, 2004: Mumbai police inspector A Sonwalkar is arrested by SIT

In a major setback to Pradeep Sawant, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), anti-terrorism squad (ATS), and senior police
inspector Vashisht Andhale, the Bombay high court on Wednesday set aside the order of a special Maharashtra Control of
Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court discharging the two in the multi-crore Telgi fake stamp paper scam.

Sawant and Andhale were suspended after they, along with former city police commissioner RS Sharma, were accused of
supporting and encouraging the fake stamp paper syndicate and its kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi.

Justice Ranjana Desai, while hearing the appeals filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), pulled up the police force,
including high ranking officers serving the police in 2003-04 when the scam had come to light. “This case has national
ramifications. Several accused including the main accused have pleaded guilty and they have been convicted. There is a possibility
that this scam had the blessings and assistance of some high ranking police officers. Their involvement needs to be gone into and
probed. In the ultimate analysis, I am of the opinion that the material collected by the prosecution, prima facie, indicates that
Sawant and Andhale have knowingly facilitated the commission of an organised crime by their acts of commission and omission. It
gives rise to a strong and grave suspicion leading the court to believe that they have committed the offence,” observed Justice
Desai.

Justice Desai set aside the discharge order, but granted the duo two months time to approach the Supreme Court. She also pulled
up the special judge for discharging the officers without considering vital pieces of evidence. “The special judge has misdirected
herself in discharging the officers. She has failed to take into account several vital pieces of evidence collected by the prosecution,
which prima facie indicate their involvement,” said Justice Desai.
The Financial Express
Posted: Wednesday, Nov 19, 2003 at 0000 hrs IST

The tentacles of the 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. Between 1992 and 2002, 12 cases were
registered against 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 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. Telgi clearly had a lot of support from other
departments and institutions of government that are responsible for the production and sale of high security
stamps. But questions about their involvement are just beginning to be asked. 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, it 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 is untouched. The Jaiswal report has indicated clearcut
connivance of officials of the India Security Press at Nasik 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 has also to be investigated. What has been
revealed so far is just the tip of the iceberg.