Pirated discs worth Rs. 1.42 cr seized over six months

[Venkat]

The Alliance Against Copyright Theft (AACT) along with Mumbai Police continues to conduct enforcement raids on movie pirates seizing 5300 discs over last few days.

Antipiracy raids conducted by Mumbai Police along with enforcement agencies from AACT have seized over 1,42,000 pirated discs in last six months, estimated to be worth more than Rs. 1.42 Crores. More than 50 raids have been conducted at various places across Mumbai, Thane and Ahmedabad during this period, and close to 90 arrests have been made as a part of the operations.

Most of the last few raids conducted by AACT have been initiated based on information provided by common people on the toll free number – 1800 103 1919, which was set up to receive complaints about piracy. The participation from the public is an encouraging sign for AACT.

Initiated by AACT, these raids are the film industry’s effort to curb movie piracy which have been severely impacting the earnings of all movies. Several raids have been planned in sync with the theatrical release of movies to restrain pirated copies of the new release from flooding the market.

Over the past few days, a joint team of the Mumbai Police and AA Khan & Associates have conducted three consecutive raids seizing more than 5300 discs of the latest Hollywood and Bollywood releases worth more than Rs. 5.3 lakhs.

? The first raid was conducted in Santacruz (W) on S. V. Road near Milan Mall on 1 stall. 576 discs were seized and 1 accused was arrested

? The second raid was conducted in Goregaon (W) outside the local train station near Jumbo King Vada Pav on 2 stall seizing 2851 discs. Two arrests were made in the raid

? The third raid was conducted near Jogeshwari (E) Station on 3 stalls. 1900 discs were seized and 1 arrest was made.

The accused are likely to be booked under sections 51, 52(A), 63, 68(A) of Copyright Act along with sections 292A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Says Mr. Sanjay Tondon, Vice President, Reliance Big Entertainment, “AACT is dealing with this menace seriously and with a heavy hand with great positive support from the Social Service Branch of the Mumbai Police as also through the various local police stations. Over the past 3 months of limited operations in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, Piracy has seen a drop of 20 to 30%. Moreover, since the time the toll-free number is launched even the common man can actively participate in curbing this crime. The purpose of AACT is to seriously go after the pirates and make them understand that AACT members are no more going to tolerate this menace.”