Bangalore Nov 27: Abdul Karim Telgi, the main accused in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam, and two others were today awarded 10 years' rigorous imprisonment in two separate cases by a CBI Court which also imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on each of them.

CBI Judge R K Joshi convicted Telgi, Sohail Khan and Shabbeer Sheikh in the cases filed against them in 2004 and found them guilty of preparing and selling a large amount of fake stamp papers in Madhya Pradesh.

The court found them guilty under 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 255 (preparing fake stamp papers) of the IPC and various other relevant sections, Special Public Prosecutor T P Negi told reporters here.

Telgi and Khan appeared in the court through video- conferencing facility from a Bangalore-based jail while Sheikh's presence was also ensured in the court through the same facility from a Pune prison, he said.

Telgi has so far been found guilty in over half a dozen cases related to the scam, which came to light in 2002, by courts in several states.

Two arrested for stealing vehicles worth Rs 40 lakh

Police today arrested two notorious inter-state vehicle theives and recovered from them stolen vehicles worth Rs 40 lakh.

Police said the accused, identified as Jovins and and Bright Joseph, hailing from Kerala, were stealing the parked vehicles and selling it at Srirangam, Karur and Hariyur in Tamil Nadu and in Pondicherry.

The stolen articles recovered included four Tata Indica car, One Tata Indigo car, One Maruti Van and eight Bajaj Pulsar motorbikes.

With the arrest of the duo, 14 cases of vehicle theft had been solved, police added.

Our Correspondent