Major Raids - 2006

Operational Highlights (Jan – Sept 2006)

Raid on a Cable Operator

On January 27,   acting on the information and assistance provided by MPA operators, the police of Social Service (Crime) Branch of Mumbai Police conducted a Suo-Motto raid and seizure operation on a cable operator operating in the name of Satellite Communication Private Limited, Ghatkopar. Two operators working there were arrested for relaying unauthorized / unlicensed copies of MPA proprietary movies to the members of the general public. The partners of Satellite Communication have been named in FIR as wanted persons. Interestingly the said cable operator was illegally broadcasting a dedicated channel to screen various MPA titles daily. The Raid resulted in a seizure of 3 DVD, 1 T.V, 1 Amplifier, 1 DVD player, 1 RC to RC wire and 1 modulator. 

India – Nationwide Anti-Piracy Raids Net Nearly 30 Arrests

During the first three weeks of February, the IPR cell of the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police raided two locations, seizing close to 4,000 pirated movies and arresting two people. In a series of suo motu raids in Chennai during the first two weeks of February, the Video Piracy Cell of the Chennai Police raided 24 different shops and seized 6,976 pirated VCDs and 3,195 pirated DVDs, arresting 23 people. On February 15, the Mumbai Police raided two retail stalls operating in the Saki Naka area of Mumbai, seizing just under 1,000 pirated movies. The owners of the stalls were arrested and when they later appeared in court, bail was denied at the request of the MPA’s counsel and the owners were remanded into custody. And last week in Bangalore, acting on information provided by the MPA, Bangalore Police seized 808 pirated DVDs and arrested the owner of a shop selling pirate movies.

Raid on Video Parlours

March 20, 2006 Bangalore: On the basis of the information provided by MPA investigators the Police conducted Suo-Motu raids and seizure operations at 2 Video Parlours named Gokul Video Parlour and Bharath Rao Video Parlour which were screening MPA titles thrice in a day.  2 persons working at the said establishments were arrested. The Raid resulted in a seizure of a total of 2 Discs which were being used in the Parlour. The accused has been remanded to judicial custody by the area magistrate.

Huge Burner Raid in New Delhi, Suo Motu Actions Continue Country Wide

During the first week of April, acting on information from MPA investigators the IPR Cell of the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police raided a huge burning operation in New Delhi. The raid seized over 6,000 pirate discs and 22 burners. MPA were especially pleased with the actions of the Crime Branch in this raid as the location is one of the harder areas of New Delhi to undertake enforcement actions in. To access the target, Police were forced to climb a variety of obstacles including walls and roofs. Two people were arrested during the raid and MPA are working with Police to ensure they are prosecuted.

As a result of continued work by MPA with the Police in Mumbai, on 31 March Police from the Social Services Branch raided a wholesaler of pirate movies in Musafir Khana Road, Mumbai. One person was arrested in the raid and over 4,500 pirate discs seized. MPA also continues to work with the Police in Chennai and in the first week of April the Video Piracy Cell of the Chennai and Salem Police raided 5 different shops, seizing over 3,000 pirate movies, and arresting 5 people. All the above raids saw seizures of the latest MPA and Bollywood titles and MPA are working with the Police in all areas to ensure prosecutions result.

India – Raid on a Manufacturing Unit

April 20, 2006: following investigations by MPA, Shalimar Bagh Police Station in Delhi conducted a suo-moto raid and seizure operation at a manufacturing unit of pirated VCDs and DVDs located at H. No –29/1 Shaheedpur Gaon, Delhi. While delays meant that the target was raided shortly after deliveries were shipped of large quantities of pirate VCDs and DVDs, a number of seizures were made including: a total of 10,800 Audio Cassettes, 2,800 Blank Audio Cassettes, 3,800 Blank Audio Cassettes Cover, 380,000 Audio Cassettes Inlay Cards, 2,000 Master Audio Cassettes, 8 Cassette Recording Machines (3 machines-1*24, 5 machines -1*12), 64,000 CD Inlay Cards, 2,750 OD’s, 400 Blank CD’s, 224 VCD’s and 18 C D W of latest Hollywood and Bollywood films. Two people were arrested in the raid and a case vide FIR No. 253/06 has been registered against those arrested.

India – Raid on a Printing Press

April 29, 2006 New Delhi: Following extensive investigations, in separate raids MPA investigators and police busted a pirate printing press and a warehouse operating in Delhi. The raid on the printing press resulted in the seizure of a colour printing press and screens. The printing press had an estimated value of INR 25 Lakhs (approx US $53,407.48).The owners were arrested and a case vide FIR has been registered against them.

Authorities Continue to Raid Pirates in Mumbai, Tamil Nadu

The MPA’s continued lobbying throughout 2006 has resulted in ongoing raids by Mumbai police, who continued their pressure on movie pirates in the last week of April, raiding three shops and three wholesalers, arresting 10 people and seizing more than 4,000 pirated Hollywood and Bollywood movies. In the same week, acting on information provided by MPA investigators, the Video Piracy Cells of the Chennai and Madurai Police undertook a sweep of pirate shops in Chennai and Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Seven shops were raided and more than 2,500 pirated Hollywood and Bollywood movies were seized. Eight people were arrested and the MPA is working with the Police in Tamil Nadu and Mumbai, to ensure that all those arrested are prosecuted.

Sting Operation: Palika Bazaar Pirate and Police Nabbed

During the month of May, the MPA, in conjunction with CNN IBN, carried out a sting operations in Delhi that was later televised. The sting was aimed at providing a profile of one of Delhi’s largest pirates, and also exposing the connections between pirates and enforcement agencies. The sting operations began early in the month and were aired on CNN IBN and its affiliates including CNBC TV 18 and the Hindi channel Awaz on May 26. CNN IBN ran a series of stories on the stings over a period of three days and the advertising value of the print and television coverage of the operations amounted to just under US$530,000. The sting operation in Delhi started with the profiling of a pirate and followed up with exposure of the nexus between the pirate and police. Following a raid on a burner lab belonging to the pirate, television cameras captured negotiations between the police and the pirate on how much the latter needed to pay to be released. Subsequently cameras captured the pirate moving out his stock of pirate DVDs from the burner lab to an unknown location. The reactions from police officers have understandably been mixed, with some officers expressing anger that their colleagues’ perfidy had been exposed and others expressing admiration for the MPAs efforts to uncover corruption. The pirate, who absconded and is being sought by the police, is believed by the MPA to be one of India’s largest pirate manufacturers. The MPA has raided his factory operations in Rajasthan three times over the past five years, finally shutting them down completely, and it is hoped that this raid on the pirates burner lab will have a positive impact on piracy in Delhi’s notorious Palika Bazaar. The MPA continues to support police efforts to locate the pirate, and to continue raiding pressure on Palika Bazaar and other piracy hotspots.

MPA outreach to Andhra Pradesh Film Chambers

Continuing its outreach to local organisations, earlier this month, MPA met with the Andhra Pradesh Film Chambers in Hyderabad to discuss a possible MOU. The Chambers represent all major local producers in the State and were eager to meet with the MPA and discuss how resources could be joined to fight piracy. Reaching out in this way to the Film Chambers is not only aimed at strengthening anti-piracy efforts in the State, but also in the longer term utilizing the Film Chambers to assist in overcoming market access issues that have recently arisen in the State.

Nation Wide Raids Continue, Palika Bazaar Hit Again

In the first week of June, MPA worked with Police to undertake raids around the country, including another raid on the notorious Palika Bazaar in Delhi which led to seizure of well over 1,000 pirate and pornographic movies and the arrest of the shop owner. A wholesaler in Mumbai was also raided in the same week, with two people arrested. MPA also worked with Police to continue the crackdown against illegal video parlors screening pirate MPA movies which had become a particular concern of member companies. Two parlors in Karnataka were raided as a result of information provided to the Police by MPA investigators, and MPA are working with the Police to pursue prosecutions against the owners of the parlors. One of the raids a crowd gathered and were agitating for action, the MPA team had to quickly leave the scene to avoid injury.

Kerala Home Minister Orders Raids Following Police Inaction

On June 17, MPA investigators assisted the Police to undertake two raids in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala. The first raid proceeded as planned and 2,858 pirate MPA VCDs and 300 pirate MPA DVDs were seized, and one person arrested. However, the second raid on a video library in Namem, a suburb of Trivandrum, ran into difficulties. While MPA investigators counted over 5,000 pirate MPA VCDs and DVDs, only 50 were reported by the Police as being seized. When MPA informed the Superintendent of Police of this irregularity he refused to take any action. However, MPA then brought the matter to the attention of the Home Minister. In a small scale reprise of the State wide crackdown in September 2005 ordered by the Chief Minister, the Home Minister this time ordered the Police to undertake a series of suo motu raids in Trivandrum. As a result at least four pirate outlets were raided and thousands of pirate DVDs were seized. MPA are working with the Police to ensure all those arrested are prosecuted.

Joint Action with BSA

On June 19, Following the establishment of an alliance with the BSA, on June 19 MPA investigators carried out a raid and seizure operation in NOIDA, a satellite city of Delhi. This was the first time MPA operatives in India had worked with the BSA to carry out an enforcement action. The raid resulted in the arrest of two suspects and seizure of 1,960 DVDs infringing MPA member company titles, as well as approximately 100 pirated CDs infringing Microsoft Office and more than 3,000 pirated games CDs. The MPA is liaising with police to ensure the suspects are prosecuted. Aaj Tak, India’s most widely viewed television channel, reported on the raid during its prime time news broadcast that evening

Pirate Retailers Raided in Mumbai and Chennai, Another Video Parlor Raided in Karnataka

During the second and the third weeks of June, MPA investigators helped the police in Mumbai and the Video Piracy Cells of Police in Salem, Vellore and Chennai to conduct suo motu raids at 12 different shops which were selling pirated VCDs and DVDs. A total of 17 people were apprehended for selling pirated copies of the latest Hollywood movies and a further two people are on the run. The raids resulted in seizure of a total of 6,572 VCDs, 4,049 DVDs and 1,451 ODs. Charges have been laid against the owners and employees of the raided shops. In further actions against unauthorized public performances in Karnataka, on June 2 the police and MPA investigators raided a video parlor operating under the name of Dreamland Mini Theatre located at Chamrajnagar Town while it was playing a pirated version of ‘Mission Impossible III’. Two people were arrested during the raid and charges have been laid against them at the Town police station, Chamrajnagar.

Raid at Indian Consumer Exhibition 2006, Chennai

July 24, 2006 Chennai:  MPA investigators in coordination with the Anti Video Piracy Cell, of the Chennai Police conducted raids on 5 stalls in an exhibition. The exhibition had a footfall of over 60,000 per day. Representatives from Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam and Kenya also had stalls in the exhibitions. MPA investigators found that movies bearing MPA titles including The Da Vinci Code, Super Man, Chronicles of Narnia, Pearl Harbor, X Men: the Last Stand, Mission Impossible 3 and Harry Potter were being openly sold at these stalls. A total of 149 pirate VCDs and 2776 pirate DVDs were recovered during the raid and the owners of the stalls were arrested.

Printing Press Seized in Faridabad (NCR)

On August 5, MPA investigators accompanied by police authorities busted a pirate printing press operating in Faridabad and arrested the suspected owner, Mr. Rajiv Aggarwal. The raid resulted in a seizure of two printing machines, one cutting machine, 200 inlay cards, 2850 pirate VCDs/DVDs, and seven CD writers. The printing machines were used to make duplicate VCD/DVD rappers. MPA is working with the police to ensure the owner who has been arrested is prosecuted.

 Anti Piracy Raids in Pondicherry, Pirate Products available at cheaper rates

Intelligence gained by MPA operatives indicate that Pondicherry is a hub for the burning ODs, particularly since the Goondas Act in Tamil Nadu is not in force in the Union Territory. As a result, on August 14, for the first time MPA helped the police to carry out a raid in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. The raid was carried out on a shop named Tic Tac which was located at Vellar Street, Pondicherry. During the raid a very large quantity of pirate VCDs/DVDs and DVD burners were recovered from the location, though it should be noted the final Seizure Memorandum showed only a seizure of 12,120 VCDs/ DVDs. The owner of the shop has been arrested.

High Court Order on shops in Pallika Bazaar, New Delhi

On August 29, 2006, The Delhi High Court authorised breaking open of locks of three shops in Pallika Bazaar, in case they were found locked during execution of raid and seizure operations for selling pirate movies. The authorisation was granted by Justice Rekha Sharma, the same judge who had earlier issued warrants against the police officer in charge of the Connaught Place Police Station (under whose jurisdiction Pallika Bazaar falls) for failing to appear in court. The Court directed that though and raids and seizure operations should be conducted discreetly and without informing the shopkeepers, should there be any hindrance in the execution of the commission by the shopkeepers, locks of their shops may also be broken open.  

The court also issued a notice today to the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (“NDMC”) on an application in which directions have been sought for the NDMC to disclose the license agreements to determine the lease terms of shops leased by NDMC in Pallika Bazaar. 

24 Raids in Karnataka, 40 Arrests

During the last week of August, MPA investigators helped the police in Bangalore to conduct suo moto raids against 24 shops located in SP Road which were selling pirated VCDs and DVDs. A total of 40 people were arrested for selling pirated copies of the latest Hollywood movies. The raids resulted in seizure of a total of 35,355 pirate VCDs, 30,153 pirate DVDs, 4,820 ODs, 10,600 blank DVDs and six DVD writers.

Action Against Rental Outlets: Court Order against Cinema Paradiso

Following a petition by MPA, on September 1, Justice Reva Khetrapal of the Delhi High Court passed orders restraining the rental library Cinema Paradiso from renting out any films copyrighted by MPA member companies. MPA had sent a cease and desist to Cinema Paradiso but that elicited no substantive response from Cinema Paradiso. MPA subsequently moved the Court and won the injunction against Cinema Paradiso on its petition. Building on these actions, in early Q4 MPA also raided a Readsure rental outlet for unauthorized rentals and is reviewing a contempt of court action against Cinema Paradiso.