March 16: Police are clueless about the whereabouts of the supplier of the fake stamp papers even a month after the racket was busted in the city.
Police sources said the supplier, Bikash Singh, had become one of “most wanted criminals” of the city.
The racket was busted on February 13 when the police seized fake stamp papers of Rs 5,000 denomination valued at Rs 14 lakh from the residences of Salim Ahmed and Safikul Islam, alias Mukut Patgiri.
The duo, along with two others — Waheb Ali and Samsul Ali — was arrested in connection with the crime.
Soon after their arrest, the police said Delhi-based trader Bikash Singh, who supplied the papers could be linked to Abdul Karim Telgi, mastermind in the multi-crore nationwide fake stamp paper racket.
Additional superintendent of police and spokesperson for the city police Bibekandanda Das today said the main accused, Islam and Ahmed, could not provide any information on the whereabouts of Singh or his address. The accused also could not remember anything about Singh other than the fact that he used supply the stamp papers, he added.
“All four accused are in jail. We tried our best and had plans of releasing a graphic of Singh on the basis of the description provided by the accused. However, the lie-detector test has confirmed that the accused are not telling the truth,” Das said.
Islam owns an incense stick unit in the city, while Ahmed runs a boys hostel in Shantipur. During interrogation Islam said he had procured the stamp papers from Singh in Delhi and that he was new in the business. It was learnt that the stamp papers were printed outside the state and subsequently smuggled into Assam.
Sources said the city police had requested their Delhi counterparts to probe the whereabouts of Singh. The police said the quality of the stamp papers indicated that they were printed at a big press. They said the CBI should take over the case if the Telgi link was to be explored.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed that 48 cases in the Telgi stamp paper scam be handed over to the CBI.
Post-graduate exams
Post-graduate students of Gauhati Commerce College have appealed to the vice-chancellor of Gauhati University to postpone the final examinations of the first and third semesters, which they claim have been scheduled much earlier than university regulations permit.
The exams are scheduled from May 16 to June 15.
Rural progress: The Rashtriya Gramin Vikash Nidhi, in association with the All India Women's Education Fund Organisation, a non-governmental organisation, recently organised a meeting on Challenges that the Northeast Faces with Regard to Development.