Mumbai, Nov. 30: Stamp scam kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi was today sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for the murder of his driver Christopher Bhatti in August 2001.

Four of his associates were also handed the same sentence by sessions court judge U.D. Salvi, who had yesterday held Telgi guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The judge imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh each in addition to the sentence on all five.

He rejected Telgi’s plea that the prison term run consecutively with his other sentences in the multi-crore fake stamp scam. Telgi, sentenced in different states, is serving a 13-year term in a Pune case. He now faces imprisonment of up to 35 years.

Bhatti had succumbed to injuries after being thrashed by Telgi and his associates for robbing him. Telgi had confessed as much during interrogation in one of the stamp scam cases.

The scam kingpin was today brought to Mumbai under heavy security from Pune’s Yerwada jail.

He pleaded for leniency on the ground that he was HIV-positive and diabetic. “My Lord, my life is like a bubble in water. It can burst any time,” he told the judge with folded hands.

But Salvi handed him seven years in jail — the maximum punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder — as sought by special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat.