'Biggest white-collar criminal' nabbed

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, NOV. 9. The Bangalore police have arrested the kingpin of the multi-crore fake revenue stamp and stamp paper racket, Kareem Lala, who had remained elusive for many years.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. H. T. Sangliana, told presspersons here on Friday that ``the biggest white-collar criminal of India,'' Kareem Telagi alias Kareem Lala (40), was arrested by police at Ajmer in Rajasthan on November 7.

``As luck would have it, someone called me from a far- off place and tipped me about Kareem's movements. I immediately sent the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Chickpet), Mr. G. Ahmed Bava, and the Upparpet Inspector, Mr. H. G. Mariswamy Gowda, to Jaipur by plane. Although they nearly missed Kareem who changed his travel plans, later they managed to arrest him at Ajmer,'' Mr. Sangliana said.

On August 19, 2000, the City police arrested Badruddin, alias Badru, and 13 others and seized fake stamps and stamp papers worth Rs. 12 crores from them. However, the kingpin, Kareem, was absconding.

Claiming themselves to be ``A'' class stamp vendors, Kareem's associates had opened their offices at Vasanthnagar and at R.T.Nagar in Bangalore City. They were allegedly selling fake stamps and stamp papers to government agencies and private firms. They had reportedly sold fake stamp papers worth crores of rupees before they were apprehended.

Mr. Sangliana said that Kareem had claimed that the fake stamp papers and stamps were printed at a press in Kolkata. ``I have asked my Kolkata counterpart to initiate measures to seal the particular printing press,'' he said.

Kareem's gang had been selling fake stamps and stamp papers in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, and Visakhapatnam. There were six cases against Kareem, including three in Bangalore, one in Hyderabad pertaining to sale of fake stamp papers worth Rs. 4.06 crores, one each in Visakhapatnam and Indore. Police of these cities were on the look out for Kareem.

Mr. Sangliana said that all the bank accounts and property of Kareem would be frozen immediately. Police have seized a diamond ring, a gold chain weighing 387 gm., a gold wrist-watch worth Rs. 5.50 lakhs, a gold pen worth over Rs. 25,000, two trendy mobile phones, and a sophisticated handi-cam, all worth Rs. 32 lakhs, from Kareem. He has been taken into police custody for investigation.

It is said that Kareem, a native of Belgaum who settled in Mumbai, owned many houses in Bangalore, Belgaum, and Mumbai. That apart, he had reportedly taken a few cinemas on lease in Bangalore. There have been strong rumours that Kareem has close connections with influential politicians and police officers and this helped him elude police for so long. Asked about this, Mr. Sangliana said: ``If you provide me information on these aspects, I will probe them and initiate action against guilty policemen.''

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