When filmy probes busted TamilRockers pirates
KOCHI: In a filmy game of hide-and-seek, the Kochi cyber police found themselves chasing digital ghosts, and eventually nabbing TamilRockers pirates involved in leaking the films Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil and Ajayante Randam Moshanam (ARM).
While the police cannot disclose the entire technique used in the operations to protect the success of future investigations, an officer involved in the probes says it took “painstaking effort” to crack the cases.
Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil was released in May and, within days, a pirated version of the film surfaced on piracy platforms. Supriya Menon, of Prithviraj Productions, filed a complaint with the Kochi Cyber Police, who subsequently launched an investigation.
“As a counter-piracy step, films adopt the watermarking method – films screened at each cinema get a unique embedded code,” the officer explains.
“We approached [digital tech provider] Qube Cinema to conduct a forensic watermarking analysis of the pirated copy of the movie. The report revealed that the film was recorded on May 16 at AriesPlex in Vanchiyoor, Thiruvananthapuram.”
Officers approached the theatre management to obtain CCTV footage from May 16, but were unable to retrieve the necessary visuals as the cameras had limited backup storage. A brainwave saved the day.
“An officer suggested analysing the angle of the film seen in the pirated version to track the seat from which it was filmed,” the officer says. “So, we sat in various seats of the theatre and took sample videos.” From this analysis, the police determined that the film had been recorded from a premium seat. They then collected the details of those who had got premium tickets on May 16.
“We found that one ticket was booked from a Tamil Nadu number,” the officer recalls. “When we checked the mobile tower location, it showed that the phone was in Kancheepuram on May 16.”
Further investigation revealed that the same phone number had been used to book tickets for several other film shows at the theatre. The police noted that bookings were being made from Tamil Nadu, and films were being recorded by field agents.
Officers requested that the theatre management inform them if any future bookings were made using the same number. In mid-July, two seats had been reserved using the same phone number for the screening of Rayaan.
“We informed the Thiruvananthapuram city police and their cyber unit. Men were deployed inside and outside the theatre. Once the screening began, the accused set up a camera to record the film,” the officer says.
“As soon as he started recording, he was nabbed. During interrogation, the accused identified himself as Jeb Sebastian from Tamil Nadu. He confessed to recording several films. He got about Rs 5,000 per film. He uploaded the recorded films to a link provided by those who hired him.”
In September, police received another complaint, this time from the director of ARM, Jithin Laal. “We found that the film had been recorded at a multiplex in Coimbatore. However, the accused had learned from their mistakes and used different methods to book tickets,” the officer says.
“But, as in all crimes, the accused left traces, and we managed to zero in on them. We tracked the vehicle used by the accused and found that they were, again, from Tamil Nadu. Their live location was in Bengaluru, and they were arrested while leaving a theatre after recording the Rajinikanth film Vettaiyan.”
Despite such busts, the officer adds, eliminating piracy is impossible. “There is a large market for pirated films. Websites that leak films attract a significant number of ads and thus, revenue. Numerous groups are actively involved in piracy. Those who first leak the films earn lakhs. This illegal activity can only be controlled if people choose not to watch or share pirated films.”
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