Prime suspect remanded to judicial custody

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vijayakumar, 49, the prime suspect in the fake stamp paper case and who had been working as an advocate clerk for the past 18 years, has been remanded to judicial custody till May 7 by Additional CJM V P Ramadevi. Vijayakumar, who was arrested from Avoli, Muvattupuzha by the police on Tuesday night was brought to Thiruvananthapuram and on detailed questioning by the Special Investigation Team, it is learnt that he had confessed to the crime. The SIT took him to various places in the city including his home from where he used to operate. He was produced before the CJM by 6. 45 pm in a special sitting on Wednesday. The investigation team had found that he had been supplying fake judicial stamp papers worth more than Rs 18 lakh to various advocates from 2009 onwards. “Vijayakumar,who confessed to the crime, told the SIT that he used to print fake stamp papers using a printer and a scanner attached to his personnel computer at his home,” said a police official from the investigation team.The police took him to the computer centre from where he used to regularly refill the cartridges used in the printer. He told the  investigation team that a special bond paper was used for printing the stamp paper and he was also taken to the shop from where he used to purchase the paper. “Once the news of the stamp paper forgery case appeared in the media, Vijayakumar, in a bid to destroy the evidence broke the printer and scanner and dumped the remains in three covers at the LNCP compound in the city,” the police said. The police regained these covers on Wednesday and had confiscated his personal computer. It is known that he had supplied stamp papers for 329 cases, including 150 cases in the District Sub Court. The investigation team is still probing the involvement of more people in the case.