Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation today (Sep 29, 2004) raided the Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Mumbai and Bangalore in connection with a fresh forged passports case booked against the multi-crore fake stamp paper accused Abdul Karim Telgi.

The fresh forgery case against Telgi has been filed today in connection with three passports which Telgi allegedly procured furnishing forged documents between 1981 and 1997 in Mumbai and Bangalore, CBI sources said.

The raids were followed subsequent to an offence which CBI registered under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of IPC, besides section 12(1) (D) of Indian Passport Act, the sources added.

The raids were being conducted at the Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) at Mumbai and Bangalore to seize relevant documents, CBI sources said.

According to the sources, Telgi applied and procured first passport from Bangalore RPO in 1981. Later, he applied for another passport at Bangalore in 1990 and received one, they said, adding that two years later in 1992, he informed the loss of the passport and got a duplicate from the same office.

Telgi also applied and received passport from Mumbai RPO in 1996, CBI sources said.

The scamster had almost landed in CBI net when the CBI conducted nationwide probe into passports prepared using forged documents, leading to seizure of Telgi's one of the passports in 1997, the sources added.

After the CBI took over probe of the fake stamps scam in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu from local police, it came across documents pertaining to Telgi's passports, following which an independent probe was initiated, a CBI official in New Delhi said.

The case registered against Telgi is the result of the probe that has examined role of officials of the RPOs and the police, who cleared Telgi's passport verification and other details, the official further said.

Telgi, the alleged kingpin of the fake stamps scam is currently lodged in the Yerawada Jail of Pune city after a sustained interrogation by the CBI some time back.

After the CBI took over the probe, it is investigating Telgi's involvement in other crimes like fake passports, fuel adulteration and bribing of Government servants, CBI sources said.