New Delhi, India – HarperCollins is delighted to announce the highly anticipated release of Telgi: A Reporter’s Diary by senior television journalist, Sanjay Singh. This gripping exposé unveils the riveting story behind India’s biggest stamp paper scam, masterminded by Abdul Karim Telgi.
The book will be available simultaneously in English and Hindi, hitting the shelves on September 11, 2023.
On an evening in the late 1990s, when Abdul Karim Telgi spent more than Rs 80 lakh, an amount enough to buy twenty kilograms of gold at that time, on a dancer in a Mumbai dance bar, the police, politicians and the underworld immediately took notice. Who was this person? What business did he own? How had a man who was selling peanuts on a railway station a few years ago become so rich?
In 2001, when Telgi was arrested by Mumbai Police, his fake stamp paper scam was arguably the biggest in Indian history, at an estimated Rs 30,000 crore. As Sanjay Singh, then a young reporter with NDTV who eventually exposed the scam in 2003—discovered, there was more to it than just the mindboggling numbers. The quality of the stamp papers, which were printed on ‘obsolete’ machines reportedly obtained from the government’s closely guarded security press in Nashik, was so good that it was difficult to tell them apart from the real ones.
Crafty and resourceful, Telgi kept the racket flourishing for more than a decade by involving not just government officials but also management executives who ‘professionally’ expanded his network.
A result of deep investigative work, in-person interviews and confidential case documents, Telgi: A Reporter’s Diary is the thrilling account of a man who built an extensive counterfeit empire worth thousands of crores, and masterminded a scam of unimaginable proportions.
Sachin Sharma, Associate Publisher at HarperCollins India, commented, “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.”
“More than 25 years in the field of journalism, many news came and went. Many scandals were uncovered, but nothing like the Telgi scam. 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.” Says the author, Sanjay Singh.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sanjay Singh is a senior television journalist. Investigative journalism is his favourite line of work. In his twenty-five-year-long exemplary career, he has worked with news channels such as Zee News, NDTV, Times Now, IBN7 and News-X.
Sanjay exposed the Telgi scam, among many other big scams in the country.
The web series Scam 2003: The Telgi Story is based on this book and has been produced by Applause Entertainment with filmmaker Hansal Mehta as the showrunner.
Also, while a web series is being planned based on Sanjay’s book with Rakesh Trivedi, CIU: Criminals in Uniform (2023), another has already been adapted from his book based on the sensational killing of Sheena Bora, Ek Thi Sheena Bora (2023).
In addition to being a law graduate and having a doctorate from Mumbai University, Sanjay is an academician associated with various educational institutions.
Available in bookstores and online retailers from September 11, 2023.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Aman Arora at aman.arora@harpercollins.co.in
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Telgi: A Reporter’s Diary
is also streaming as a webseries on SonyLIV Originals starting from September 1, 2023
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