A new web series is set to be released about Abdul Karim Telgi, the convicted counterfeiter of the Stamp Paper Scam, which is considered to be one of the biggest financial frauds in India. The web series titled “Scam 2003: The Telgi Story,” will start streaming on September 2, 2023, on SonyLiv.
Telgi was born in 1961 in Karnataka’s Khanapur. His father worked in Indian Railways but died when he was young. Telgi reportedly sold fruits and vegetables on trains to pay for his school fees.
He worked in Saudi Arabia for seven years and started his career as a travel agent after returning to India. However, he soon turned to counterfeiting in the greed of making easy money.
Telgi started counterfeiting by making fake passports but later set up a fake stamp paper business in 1992. He began selling counterfeit papers to government officials and businesses. His network of around 300 agents sold fake stamps to banks, insurance companies and brokerage firms in bulk.
He was said to be in love with a Mumbai bar girl and reportedly showered over Rs 90 lakhs on her.
The scam went undetected for several years, but it was eventually exposed in 2001. Telgi was arrested and charged with fraud, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. In January 2006, he was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Telgi died in prison in 2017.
The upcoming web series is directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Hansal Mehta and stars theatre actor Gagan Dev Riar as Telgi. Besides Riar, Satyam Srivastava, Nitesh Kumar, Vishal C Bhardwaj, Deepak Mahato, and Shaad Randhawa are also part of the star cast.
Popular radio jockey and TV actress Sana Amin Sheikh will play the role of Telgi’s wife Nafisa opposite Gagan Dev Riar.