New Delhi: In a riveting exposé set to captivate readers, HarperCollins is thrilled to announce the forthcoming release of ‘Telgi: A Reporter’s Diary’, authored by senior television journalist Sanjay Singh. This compelling book unveils the astonishing narrative behind India’s largest stamp paper scandal, orchestrated by the enigmatic mastermind, Abdul Karim Telgi.
In a defining moment during the late 1990s, when Abdul Karim Telgi lavished over Rs 80 lakh, a sum equivalent to purchasing twenty kilogrammes of gold at the time, on a dancer in a Mumbai dance bar, it triggered an immediate response from law enforcement, politicians, and the underworld. The burning questions that arose were: Who was this man? What was his business? How had an individual who had sold peanuts at a railway station a few years prior amassed such immense wealth?
By the year 2001, when Telgi was apprehended by the Mumbai Police, his counterfeit stamp paper racket had ballooned into what was arguably the most significant financial fraud in Indian history, with estimates reaching a staggering Rs 30,000 crore. As Sanjay Singh, a young reporter with NDTV at the time, later exposed in 2003, the scandal encompassed more than astronomical numbers. The quality of the counterfeit stamp papers, printed on supposedly ‘obsolete’ machines reportedly procured from the government’s closely guarded security press in Nashik, was so impeccable that distinguishing them from genuine ones proved to be an arduous task.
Published by HarperCollins India, ‘Telgi: A Reporter’s Diary‘ will be released on 22 September on SoftCover, ThePrint’s online venue to launch non-fiction books.
Crafty and resourceful, Telgi sustained his illicit operation for over a decade by not only engaging government officials but also enlisting management executives who professionally expanded his clandestine network.
Based on exhaustive investigative work, face-to-face interviews, and confidential case documents, ‘Telgi: A Reporter’s Diary’ offers a thrilling account of a man who constructed a counterfeit empire worth billions and engineered a scandal of unparalleled magnitude.
Sachin Sharma, Associate Publisher at HarperCollins India, said that as someone who broke the Telgi scam news, Sanjay Singh is the best person to tell this story. “In Telgi: A Reporter’s Diary, Sanjay takes readers on an exciting investigative trail as he shares what led him to this story and how this turned out to be the scam of the century. A must-read for anyone who loves investigative journalism.”
Author Sanjay Singh is a distinguished television journalist with over 25 years of experience. He has contributed to channels such as Zee News, NDTV, Times Now, IBN7, and News-X.
Reflecting on his remarkable journey, he stated, “During the course of this investigative reporting, I went through many new, thrilling, and terrifying experiences. Facing tests of truth, money, punishment, and division. Had to deal with powerful politicians and dangerous policemen. Encountered temptations and threats. Even the former Home Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra threatened me with Chappal at a crowded press conference. But I did not lose courage and continued to chase news like a ghost. This book is also a testament to the persistence of that effort. Do not view the journalism of 2003 through the lens of 2023”.
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