11 police officers named in stamp scam

HYDERABAD: Fake stamp paper scam accused Mohammed Abdul Waheed Quadri, who is in the custody of the state’s Stamps Investigation Team (SIT), has reportedly named 11 police officers who helped the scamsters run their operations.
Quadri, who is learnt to have volunteered to become an approver in the case, told his interrogators that scam kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi spent over Rs 2 crore to hush up the scam in Hyderabad, sources told The Times of India.
He also told his interrogators that many of the police officers posted in the city when the scam came to light in 1999 and even after that knew about the racket but kept silent, sources said.
When the scam was brought to light by a bank manager in 1999, the then assistant commissioner of police (ACP) of Begum Bazar insisted on handing over the case to the Central Crime Station, but an IPS officer intervened and prevented him from doing so. Instead, a special team was set up with five circle inspectors, an equal number of sub-inspectors and some constables, Waheed Quadri has reportedly told his interrogators.
Some officers of the Special Branch made enquiries at that time but remained silent, the sources said.
He also claimed that as soon as the scam broke, he went underground for a while. He resumed his operations after an assurance from Telgi that he had ‘managed’ the team. A team of investigators, which went to Mumbai on the scam trail, was persuaded not to name Quadri and a few others as accused, the sources added.
Quadri said Telgi gifted MLA Krishna Yadav a 12-acre land near Yelahanka near Bangalore for helping him run his racket.
In fact, Telgi was driven around the city in Yadav’s car when he came here in 1999, Quadri told in his confession, the sources revealed. The confession is yet to be made public.
I N S I D E Detailed report on P7 Telgi’s front: The BJP unit of Karnataka on Thursday named nine private companies located in New Delhi and Chennai, which they claimed have fronted pay-offs from Telgi to a retired DGP.
Fresh warrant: An Ahmedabad court on Thursday issued a fresh production warrant for Telgi in a case registered against him by the CBI. A magistrate issued a warrant for April 8 that Telgi be brought to Ahmedabad.
Raid on Sawant’s home: Maharashtra’s ACB and the SIT on Thursday jointly conducted simultaneous raids at the residence and office of deputy commissioner of police Pradeep Sawant, who was arrested on Wednesday.