Krishna Yadav held in stamp scam

TNN | Sep 7, 2003, 12.5
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Krishna-Yadav-held-in-stamp-scam/articleshow/170002.cms

HYDERABAD: The Maharashtra police on Saturday arrested TDP legislator C Krishna Yadav for his alleged involvement in the Rs 3,000-crore fake stamps racket.

The Himayatnagar MLA was charged under the dreaded Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (Mcoca).

Armed with an arrest warrant issued by a special judge trying the stamps scam, the special investigating team (SIT) of Maharashtra police landed here and picked up the former minister from a place in Masab Tank in the afternoon.

The local police and the Assembly Speaker were informed about the arrest. The TDP legislator was taken to Pune later in the evening.

"The Maharashtra SIT apparently provided strong evidence to the special judge to nail Krishna Yadav in the case. He (the judge) might have issued the warrant after being sufficiently convinced about the evidence," a senior state police officer told The Times of India.

Yadav, who served in the Chandrababu Naidu cabinet as labour and animal husbandry minister, is the 53th person to be arrested in the racket and the second MLA, after Samajwadi Janata Party legislator from Dhule Anil Gote, to be involved in the scam.

The official said SIT had an audio cassette in its possession in which Yadav reportedly was demanding a certain sum from Abdul Karim Telgi, the alleged kingpin in the fake stamp paper racket.

The MLA was charged with criminal conspiracy and possession of counterfeit stamps. If the charges slapped against the MLA are proved, he might end up either facing a death penalty or life imprisonment.

The police apparently got leads into the involvement of Yadav after a key accused in the case turned approver.

The MLA is also accused of providing logistical support to manufacture fake stamps. Police is also on the look-out for another Hyderabadi Raees Qadri and three others.

The scam, worth over Rs 3000 crores, has its roots in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and several other states. Krishna Yadav

Stamped out

The former animal husbandry minister and TDP legislator could face death sentence or a life term if found guilty

He has been charged with criminal conspiracy and counterfeiting government stamps

Yadav, the 53rd person held in the case, is said to have threatened key accused Telgi over the telephone

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