Telgi's policy of 'divide and rule'

HYDERABAD: Multi-crore fake stamp scam kingpin Mohammed Abdul Karim Telgi adopted the method of divide and rule to prevent any rebellion in his syndicate.
Telgi used the policy to control his crime syndicate across the country and enjoyed unquestioned authority, sources involved in the stamp scam probe said.
Telgi used to get three independent reports at the end of the day from three different persons of his syndicate working in each state.This was to check any manipulation by his men, the sources said.
Telgi never trusted any one person. Instead, Telgi made his men keep tabs on each other by making each of them believe that he was close to that individual, sources said.
The individual reports used to have the details of the orders received from various institutions seeking stamps, the quantity supplied and the money received. The reports also used to contain the description of expenses incurred on various counts, the sources said.
For instance, Telgi used to get three individual reports from his men in Hyderabad. Sadasiva, who had started the fake stamp sale for the first time in Hyderabad following Telgi''s instructions; Abdul Waheed, a relative of Telgi who was later made the in-charge of Hyderabad affairs, and Dastagir Kutbuddin Murghod, the marketing division in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, used to send separate reports, sources said, quoting from Abdul Wahed''s confession.
In fact, it was these individual reports that led to differences between Sadasiva and Dastagir, forcing Telgi to transfer Dastagir to Mumbai, sources said. Sources also said that Telgi never used to allow the same person to continue at one outlet for long. He used to shift the in-charge of each outlet frequently and ask them to start a new one. This was only to prevent the person from gaining control over the business, sources said. A similar method was applied across the country, and this helped Telgi maintain total control over his business, sources said.
However, Telgi was taken for a ride by Mohammed Abdul Waheed Quadri and Syed Hameed. The duo had taken fake stamps worth Rs 9 crore from Telgi and evaded payment, following which Telgi sent his man in the Maharashtra police Dilip Kamath to pick-up Hameed, sources said.