The Hindu : Karnataka News : Telgi and three others convicted

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Sunday, Dec 16, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Telgi and three others convicted

Staff Reporter

They were accused of defrauding the Government, HMT and private firms

BANGALORE: A Special Court on Saturday sentenced Abdul Karim Telgi and three others to five years of rigorous imprisonment on finding them guilty of opening fictitious firms and defrauding the State Government, Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) and some private companies to a tune of Rs. 10.35 lakh. This is the third case in which Telgi has been convicted in the State.

Judge C.G. Hungund has imposed a fine of Rs. 4.5 lakh each against Telgi, Bhadruddin, and Wazir Ahmed Salik for the offences of criminal conspiracy, counterfeiting government stamps and possessing such stamps, and for possessing instruments or material for counterfeiting the stamps.

The judge said the accused will have to undergo an additional rigorous imprisonment ranging between three months and one year if they fail to pay the fine.

Finding the role of the third accused Pradeep Kumar being restricted to obtaining orders from clients, the judge has sentenced him to one year rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000.

The judge acquitted Anees Khan, Irfan Ahmed and Samiullah.

However, according to Telgi’s counsel S.B. Rajanna, the four accused have been in prison for six years and will not be undergoing any imprisonment in this case.

The Special Court has convicted Telgi in two other cases.

The Saturday’s conviction comes in the case, which is one of the three cases that exposed the network of Telgi in selling fake stamp papers and the ways in which he defrauded private companies and the Government.

The investigations by the Stamp Paper Investigation Team (STAMPIT), the special team of the Karnataka Police headed by R. Sri Kumar that looked into the racket, found that Telgi had opened fictitious firms such as “Citizen Enterprises”, “Unique Services” and “Cauvery Enterprises”.

Mr. Hungund’s predecessor Vishwanth Virupaksh Angadi was transferred a few ago before he could pronounce the judgment.

In his first judgment in the stamp paper racket cases, Mr. Hungund said the substantive sentences against Telgi, Bhadruddin, Wazir Salik and Pradeep Kumar will run concurrently. The sentences for failure to deposit the fine amount for each of the offences will run separately.

The judge has set off from the term of imprisonment the period for which the accused have been in various prisons during the trial.

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