Making waves with its thrilling plot, Scam 2003: The Telgi Story is the latest financial biographical series streaming on SonyLIV.
Tushar Hiranandani directs the series, with Hansal Mehta serving as the co-director. It is based on a true story of stamped paper counterfeiting committed by Abdul Karim Telgi in early 2000s. Scam 2003 draws inspiration from Sanjay Singh’s book, Telgi Scam: Reporter’s ki Diary, and is the second instalment in the Scam franchise following Scam 1992.
Scam 2003: The Telgi Story is divided in two volumes and five episodes each. Volume 2 of the series premiered on November 3, 2023, and revolves around the downfall of Abdul Karim Telgi.
Check out the trailer for Scam 2003: The Telgi Story Volume 2:
Scam 2003: The Telgi Story: How does the show end?
At the end of volume 1 of Scam 2003: The Telgi Story, Telgi committed a blunder that blew his cover. He went to a bar and spent around Rs 90 lakh (around USD 108 thousand) on a single night on a dancer. He took this step because he became agitated because of another man competing with him and wanted to demonstrate who he was and what he could do.
Telgi went against his own beliefs and ended up doing what he shouldn’t have. He had forgotten that not showing his wealth was the reason why he was able to carry out his activities seamlessly. The next morning, he received calls from every person involved in the system. They asked him to start afresh and give them more money, as now they knew how much he was making.
What happened in the final episode of Scam 2003: The Telgi Story?
The final episode of Scam 2003: The Telgi Story, titled Truth Serum, saw Telgi in and out of police stations, court hearings, and jail. While he wanted to take the people involved with him down as well, his mother advised him not to fight anymore. On the other hand, Pramod Jaisingh and Suryapratap Gehlot arrest Abdul’s bureaucrat and police associates in Maharashtra and Karnataka, leaving the politicians untouched.
They later requested him to undergo a narco test to disclose the names involved in the scam. The entire operation was recorded, and he was asked about the names of the politicians and government officials involved. Telgi, under the influence of the serum, revealed certain names, which then made it to the news.
However, he later found out that his mother passed away and paid her grave a visit. Distressed over his absence, Telgi and his brother got into an argument, where his brother accused him of their mother’s death. Later, Suryapratap Gehlot visited Telgi and they talk about the news of his revealing the names.
Telgi then asked Gehlot about writing his own biography, telling him that he would rather reveal every name through the book than out in public. A central agency then took over the case, which added more pressure on his family. Later, when Telgi bumped into his wife, Nafisa, and daughter, Nafisa begged him to get this over with as it was not only threatening their lives but also their daughter’s.
Did Telgi pay for his crimes?
This strikes a chord in Telgi as he decided to take the entire blame behind the stamp paper counterfeit in front of the judge and deal with the consequences. They later sentenced him to 13 years for another aspect of the scandal and also fined him Rs 10 billion (USD 130 million).
While being taken to jail, Telgi revealed that he wasn’t the only one behind this but was also the one who found the loophole in the system. He also apologised to the people he might’ve hurt directly or indirectly, even though it was never his intention. The episode also featured actual footage of the real Abdul Karim Telgi’s final arrest.
After serving 13 years in prison, Telgi passed away due to meningitis. The advocates involved shared Telgi’s property papers and bank account statements of the money he had accumulated with his family. However, in the end, Nafisa decided to surrender his property worth Rs 30,000 crores (USD 3 million) to the government.
All episodes of Scam 2003: The Telgi Story are now streaming on SonyLIV.
