MH-STAMP PAPERS-ARREST

3 of family held for selling stamp papers using forged seal
    Pune, Jun 19 (PTI) A stamp paper vendor and two
members of his family were Wednesday arrested here for
allegedly using forged seal and signature to issue stamp
papers, police said.
    The trio was arrested on the charge of cheating, and
stamp papers of Rs 500 and Rs 100 denominations, collectively
worth Rs 68 lakh, were seized from them, police said.
    According to police, the stamp papers were genuine,
but they were procured by the accused without the mandatory
signature and stamp of the treasury officer.
    The accused were identified as Suhas Deshpande (59),
his wife Sucheta (54) and son Chinmay (26), they said.
    A complaint in this regard was registered at
Vishrambaug police station under IPC sections 419 (punishment
for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating) and 34 (common
intention) and relevant sections of the State Emblem of India
(Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005.
    According to police, the Deshpandes have a licence to
sell stamp papers the last several years.
    "We received information that the family was in
possession of some stamp papers, which they had procured from
the treasury without the mandatory signature and stamp of the
treasury officer," a police officer said.
    Stamp papers of any denomination are not allowed to be
sold from the treasury without the stamp and signature of the
treasury officer, he added.
    "In the present case, when we inquired with the
Deshpandes, we found that he had procured the stamp papers of
Rs 500 and Rs 100 denominations without the mandatory
signature and stamp of the officer," he added.
    The accused used to sell the stamps using forged seal
and signature of the treasury officer, the policeman said.
    "The stamps he procured from the treasury are genuine
and obtained after paying the requisite amount. But we are
investigating his intention behind using the forged seal and
forging the signature. We will investigate the motive behind
indulging in this malpractice," the officer said.
    He said they are probing how the stamp papers without
the mandatory official seal and signature were being issued.
    "Stamp papers worth Rs 68 lakh have been seized," he
said.
    All the three accused were produced before a court
here and remanded to police custody till June 21. PTI SPK
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from a PTI feed.)