Scam 2003: The Telgi Story

A job opportunity brings Abdul Karim Telgi, a fruit seller from Khanpur, to Bombay. When he is arrested for forgery nine years later, he meets Kaushal Jhaveri in prison and joins his gum wash operation. However, fining the business unscalable, Abdul comes up with the idea to pivot into the world of stamp papers.

Abdul successfully begins to steal official stamp papers from trains, but needs a licence to sell them in bulk. Against Kaushal’s wishes, he uses political connections to try and acquire one from the Old Custom House but fails. To make matters worse, Kaushal, feeling betrayed, leaves Abdul’s side.