Bangalore: Karnataka Government today (Jan 24, 2004) suspended four police officers for their alleged lapses in the investigations pertaining to the fake stamp paper scam cases, official sources said.

The four are: assistant commissioner of police Sangram Singh, inspector, city crime branch, Basha, sub-inspector V A Khan and deputy superintendent of police, K M Muddaiah.

Home Department issued an order placing them under suspension, the sources said.

City police commissioner S Mariswamy said earlier this month he had recommended to the DGP and IGP T Madiyal suspension of and departmental enquiry against Singh, Basha and Khan who earlier worked in the city market police station.

In 1997, the city market police seized fake stamp papers valued at more than Rs three lakh, and filed a chargesheet against six persons. Court acquitted four of them four years later. Prime accused in the scam, Abdul Karim Telgi, was not named as an accused in the case, and it's alleged that the police had deliberately left out his name.

During the seizure and registration of the case, Singh, Basha and Khan were attached to this police station.

Sources said Muddaiah had supervised the investigation after the case was transferred to City Crime Branch, where he was then assistant commissioner of police. Muddaiah was currently working as deputy superintendent of police at Doddaballapura in Bangalore Rural district.