3 ISP workers held; Shinde blames Centre

Three employees of the city-based India Security Press have been arrested while four, including ISP’s ex-general manager, have been sus...

Three employees of the city-based India Security Press have been arrested while four, including ISP’s ex-general manager, have been suspended in connection with the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam.

‘‘Inquiry by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the CBI is on at ISP. The Centre is acting against its employees after reports from the SIT and Bangalore’s StampIT,’’ ISP sources said.

	Now film on Telgi

			MUMBAI: After hitting the headlines in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam, the infamous rags-to-riches story of Abdul Karim Telgi has now hit the silver screen. Premiered on Friday, Marathi film Shalya narrates the tale of Roasaheb Nelgi, played by Vilas Ujwane, who produces fake stamp papers. Directed by Hemant Kumar Sharma, the film has been produced by Ashok Chaugule. (Agencies) Story continues below this ad

The chief purchase officer, a section officer and a clerk have been arrested while four others, including ISP’s ex-general manager, have been suspended over the past month .

‘‘The ISP has about 7,000 workers but you cannot write off the whole staff as bad; it’s due to few officers and workers that the image of the ISP has been maligned,’’ a source said.

In New Delhi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said none of his ministers were involved . A day after indicted police officer R.S. Sharma claimed that some ministers’ names had figured in investigations, Shinde said the SIT was probing the matter. ‘‘There will be no effort to shield anybody.’’

Shinde said the Centre ‘‘woke up’’ to the scam only two months ago though the racket was going on for almost 10 years when the Shiv Sena-BJP government was in power. ‘‘The government should have taken cognisance in 2001 and ordered a CBI probe,’’ he said. Denying the Centre’s charge that the state was against handing over the case to CBI, Shinde said he couldn’t ask for a handover outside court.