Thane: A local court today (Aug 17, 2004) sent Abdul Karim Telgi, prime accused in multi-crore fake stamp paper racket, to judicial custody till August 31 in a case pertaining to the sale of fake revenue stamps registered with Mira Road police station five years ago.

Telgi was produced amidst tight security before Judicial Magistrate first class S R Jaiswal. After he was remanded to custody, police took the accused to Yerwada prison in Pune, as Telgi has to appear on August 21 in a case registered against him there.

CBI counsel Pradeep Gharat told the court that police had recovered fake revenue stamps and printing machinery worth Rs 88 lakh in 1999 and the agency was still probing Telgi's complicity in the scam.

According to CBI, in August 1999, P Jain was arrested with fake revenue stamps. He implicated Umesh Khandewal who in turn pointed a finger at Bhausahab Jagdale, a postal employee who allegedly sold fake revenue stamps from the GPO counter.

Jagdale revealed names of Uday Sawant and Vijay Kadam. The former was an employee of Telgi and from him the police recovered stamp-printing machinery that belonged to the scam kingpin.

Gharat said there were total 10 accused in the case, including the investigating officer PSI Pratap Kakade, who is under arrest and charged with Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Telgi, already held in fake stamp paper case of Pune, had been shown wanted in this case and was arrested by CBI on August.