Remembering the infamous Telgi stamp paper scam of 2003
Back in 2003, India uncovered a massive ₹30,000 crore fake stamp paper scam led by Abdul Karim Telgi.
He produced counterfeit stamp papers that ended up being used in all sorts of legal and financial deals.
The story began to unravel in 2000, when Bengaluru police found two men with over ₹9 crore in fake papers, revealing just how far the scam had spread.
How did Telgi pull it off—and what happened next?
Telgi began large-scale counterfeiting operations around/after obtaining a vendor's license in or after 1994; he set up his own printing press and recruited staff by 1996.
With a network of about 300 agents, he sold these fakes to banks, insurance companies, and government offices across several states.
After dodging police for months, Telgi was finally arrested in 2001. Investigations exposed involvement from some officials too.
He was sentenced to 30 years in jail and fined ₹202 crore in 2007.
The case pushed India to rethink how it handles security and corruption around official documents—reminding everyone just how much damage counterfeiting can do.