Jayant M. Tinaikar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Jayant M. Tinaikar

• Jayant M. Tinaikar, an Indian social activist and businessman, is recognised as the key whistleblower of the 2003 stamp paper scam. He helped the police officials crack the scam and arrest Abdul Karim Telgi, the main convict; this task almost took seven years.

• His family traces its roots to a village named Tinai in the Western Ghats near Dudhsagar Falls. ^[4]The Hindu

• Tinaikar had known Abdul Karim Telgi since his childhood. They grew up together in Khanapur, Karnataka.

• According to Jayant, Telgi moved to Saudi Arabia from India after his father’s demise. Jayant became suspicious of Telgi’s activities when he noticed him buying properties in Khanapur at higher prices after his return to India. While talking about this, in an interview, Jayant mentioned that Telgi and his family had maintained a modest lifestyle following his father’s demise; however, Telgi appeared to have become a wealthy man after returning from Saudi Arabia.

  

• Jayant soon became aware of Telgi’s huge donations to youth clubs, temples, mosques, and women’s associations. He, moreover, observed Telgi funding cricket matches and organizing trips to religious sites frequently. Such activities of Telgi made Jayant more suspicious following which he started investigating more about Telgi’s activities. According to Jayant, Telgi had no political aspirations, but he continued to make significant donations and provide funding. In an interview, Jayant mentioned that he initially made several attempts to alert the police about Telgi’s activities, but no one believed him. He added that he even wrote a letter to the President of India about it, yet no action was taken in response.

  

• Tinaikar later got to know that Abdul Karim Telgi used to meet groups of 50 to 100 individuals frequently in Ajmer; these people were often sent to Ajmer by Telgi’s brother under the guise of a pilgrimage. According to Jayant, he sent the information to a team of 3 to 4 men he had hired with the aim to get more information about it.

• In October 2001, Jayant tipped off Bengaluru Police Commissioner H. T. Sangliana about Telgi’s expected visit to Ajmer and urged him to send his team to Ajmer to arrest Telgi. According to Sanglian, he immediately shared the information with the Assistant Commissioner of Police G. A. Bawa in Bengaluru. Bawa later left for Ajmer along with his team to search for Telgi in the guise of Pathans. The team located Telgi after seven days of searching in Ajmer. According to Bawa, he noticed a man kissing the door of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The man had a striking resemblance to a picture Telgi which Bawa had with him. After confirming the identity of the person as Telgi, he was arrested by the Bengaluru police at the Dargah following which a thorough interrogation was held; Telgi was arrested on 7 November 2001.

• In the documentary ‘Money Mafia,’ G. A. Bawa revealed that after his arrest, Telgi made a desperate plea to the police officials and offered a huge amount in exchange for his release. As per the police, Telgi’s arrest resulted in the arrest of hundreds of individuals involved in the scam and the seizure of property worth over Rs. 4,000 crores. ^[5]discovery plus India – YouTube

• In 2007, Tinaikar was offered a sum of Rs. 2000 as a token of appreciation for his role in exposing the scam. He, however, chose not to accept it. In an interview, he disclosed that he had expected to receive at least 10% of the assets confiscated from Telgi by the Maharashtra and Karnataka governments as a token of appreciation, considering his crucial role as the main whistleblower in the case.

• The Director General of Police R. Sri Kumar presented a cheque of Rs. 10 lacs to Jayant in recognition of his contribution to exposing the stamp paper scam.

• Jayant Tinaikar appeared in a documentary titled ‘Money Mafia’ in 2021. It was aired on Discovery+. In the documentary, he provided in-depth details about his seven-year journey and the efforts he made to help police arrest Telgi.

  

• Tinaikar is a dedicated follower of the Indian monk and philosopher Swami Vivekananda. His admiration for Vivekananda is evident through his social media posts.

• Jayant is an avid animal lover. In 1966, he got a pet.

• He learned to swim in 1968 and bike riding in 1978.

• Jayant voted for the first time in elections in 1979.

• In 1980, he began working as a social worker in Belgaum, Karnataka.

• he travelled by plane for the first time in 1982.

• Jayant established Shri Swami Vivekanand English Medium School in Khanapur in 1986. He initiated an organization called ‘Save India Mission’ to combat corruption within society in the same year.

  

• Jayant joined his father’s business in 1988.

• He bought a car in 2002 and a house in Khanapur in 2003.

• Jayant Tinaikar contested the Lok Sabha elections on a ticket from the Kamerun National Democratic Party (KNDP) from the Uttara Kannada constituency in Karnataka in 2004. He, however, lost the elections. ^[6]CEO Madhya Pradesh

• In 2016, Tinaikar established a company named Jay Group that deals in the manufacturing and marketing of daily needs. He holds the position of the managing director of the company. In the same year, he founded a restaurant named Sangaati Heritage in Khanapur.

• Jayant fell victim to a brutal attack by masked assailants in Belagavi, Karnataka, in March 2022. According to Belagavi Police officials, the attackers targeted Tinaikar’s car and assaulted him with rods before fleeing the scene. After the attack, Jayant was initially admitted to a hospital in Khanapur and was later transferred to a hospital in Belagavi for further treatment. ^[7]The Indian Express

• Jayant Tinaikar wrote a book titled ‘The Stamp Paper Scam: One Man, 19 Years, and Telgi’s Takedown’ in 2023. The book contained detailed information about the 2003 stamp paper scam and Abdul Karim Telgi’s arrest.