Stamp scam kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi dead

Bengaluru: Abdul Karim Telgi, a convict in the multi-crore counterfeit stamp paper scam, died on Thursday, of multiple organ failure at Bengaluru's Victoria Hospital at around 3.55 pm, three days after he had been admitted with meningitis.

Doctors said the high profile convict, recently accused of bribing officials for better facilities inside Parappana Agrahara where he was serving a 30 year jail sentence, was on ventilator and life support after multi-organ failure, and was in a critical state.

"He died of cardiac arrest.  Telgi's condition was critical with multisystem failure and had a cardiac arrest on Wednesday afternoon. In spite of all resuscitative measures he could not be revived and was declared dead at 3.55 pm.  He succumbed to his condition at 3.55 pm on Thursday and despite all our efforts, we could not revive him. We lost him to a cardiac arrest," said Dr. Balaji S Pai, Special Officer, Trauma Care Centre. 

As Telgi was a convict serving a life sentence at the Parappana Agrahara central prison, a post mortem will be conducted in the presence of a magistrate, as per the procedure. Sources said that the autopsy would be conducted on Friday morning and then the body will be handed over to his family members.

It is learnt that the family has decided to take the body to his hometown Khanapur in Belagavi where the last rites will be conducted on Friday.

Convicted
Telgi, 56, was convicted in four cases while was acquitted in one. 

He was convicted and sentenced to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment in 2007.

He was arrested by the city police in Ajmer in November 2001, when H. T. Sangliana was the city police commissioner.

Traces of his offence dates back to 1991 but the issue became serious only after governments of several states including Karnataka realised the seriousness of the offence and the loss it had caused to the state exchequers. 

The state government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by the then ADGP R. Srikumar, who retired as the head of the state police force.

Telgi’s nexus with policemen was exposed on many occasions. Besides, several officers getting arrested in connection with the case, many others were suspended after they were found partying with him.

Further, he led life king size even in prison, where he has been lodged for more than 15 years now. 

Many prison staff got suspended, some dismissed, for helping him in the help to lead a lavish lifestyle.

In the recent prison department irregularities episode, DIG Roopa had alleged that Telgi was given more inmates to help him, than the court had permitted.