BOMBAY, 18 January 2006 — An Indian court yesterday sentenced three persons to 10 years in jail for selling 20 billion rupees worth of fake stamps. Abdul Karim Telgi and his associates — Sanjay Gaikwad and Ram Ratan Soni — were also fined 50,000 rupees each by special court Judge U.D. Salvi.
This is the first conviction of Telgi, who is lodged in Yerwada prison in Pune. He was not present, when the judgment was delivered but appeared through video-conferencing.
Prosecutor Pradeep Gharad had sought life in jail for all three.
Telgi urged leniency as he was suffering from HIV/AIDS and his wife was admitted to hospital.
The public prosecutor said the accused had cheated solicitors Poonam and Company of Bombay by selling them fake stamp papers of 1.6 million rupees in 1995.
This is the first case in Bombay where the entire trial was conducted through video conferencing. Seventeen witnesses were examined during the trial which ended Dec. 26, last year.
All the accused were charged with counterfeiting government stamps, possessing material for counterfeiting stamps, selling counterfeit stamps, possessing counterfeit stamps, conspiracy, and cheating.
