November 10, 2003	Monday	Ramazan 14, 1424

MUMBAI, Nov 9: The police chief here was questioned by special investigators on Sunday in connection with a multi-million dollar counterfeit stamp paper scam, officials said.

Police Commissioner R.S. Sharma was questioned for the second consecutive day by investigators trying to uncover links between the police and Abdul Karim Telgi, a former travel agent and the alleged brain behind the fraud.

Sharma was commissioner of police in the western city of Pune when the authorities first registered a case in June last year against Telgi for bribing politicians and police in the state of Maharashtra, of which Bombay is the capital, to run his business counterfeiting stamp paper which in India is used for legal documents.

An internal state police inquiry last year had indicted Sharma for “dereliction of duty in the probe against Telgi.”

Last week, special investigators questioned and later detained Shridhar Wagal, an inspector-general of police with the Maharashtra state intelligence department. Wagal is accused of receiving bribes from Telgi in exchange for not taking action in cases against him.

On Saturday, police chief Sharma said his interrogation had been “routine.”

“In fact, I had written to the investigating team that I was willing to co-operate with the probe,” he said. Sharma is due to end his posting as police commissioner on November 30.

Media reports said the state investigative team has arrested nearly 60 people, including police officers, state politicians and administrative machinery officers, in connection with the case.—AFP