Kumaraswamy for fresh probe into la affair Telgi

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has favoured a fresh probe into the multi-billion rupee fake stamp paper scam in the wake of the claim made by its suspected kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi that he had paid a huge amount of money to politicians and policemen.

Kumaraswamy’s threat to order a fresh probe came soon after it became public that Telgi, during a narco-analysis test conducted on him during December 2003, had claimed that spent about Rs 20 billion on policemen and politicians from Karnataka as well as Maharashtra.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Pune had recorded Telgi’s narco-analysis, conducted by the Forensic Sciences Laboratory at Victoria Hospital in Bangalore, in two VCDs, which had been released to a section of the press in Bangalore, including a television channel.

The VCD shows Telgi getting ready for the test, being injected with the truth serum, falling into a trance and being questioned. Apart from claiming that he had spent about Rs 20 billion on policemen and politicians from the two states, Telgi claims that politicians are “bad animals”, who cannot be trusted.

During the course of the narco-analysis, which begins minutes after he is administered the truth serum, Telgi answers all the questions with a drawling accent. He is shown being given water through soaked cotton to keep him hydrated. Telgi has named a couple of politicians, both from Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Responding to the sensational disclosures of Telgi during the narco-analysis, Kumaraswamy, who has a running feud with the Congress party over corruption charges, said politicians should hang their heads in shame. “The Government will have to think about ordering a fresh probe into the entire scam”, he said.