Pirated CDs: Cops closing in on culprits
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: What will happen to the ongoing investigation into the recent haul of a cache of pirated CDs from a business centre in the city?
Well, investigators are keeping their lips sealed, but their innocuous response gives the impression that they are waiting for a prize catch, that too from outside the State, thereby confirming the long-time argument that the piracy business has inter-state connections.
Speaking to Express, Anti-Piracy Wing DySP S Rafeek confirmed that the needle of suspicion points to an influential person from a neighbouring state. Though he refused to divulge further details, Rafeek pointed out that the officers are tight-lipped so that the investigation does not get derailed.
“Our investigation is heading in the proper direction. The piracy is being controlled by a powerful racket, which has its roots within and outside the State,” he said.
Though the sale of pirated CDs is rampant in the state, it was only after the seizure of a sizeable quantity of pirated CDs, including the latest Malayalam, Tamil and English flicks, along with pornographic videos, that the investigation picked up momentum. The state Anti-Piracy Cell led by SP Rajpal Meena then launched an vigorous investigation, which is nearing its end.
A member of the investigating team made another startling revelation that one of the theatres in Thiruvananthapuram was behind the forging of copies of new flicks. According to him, the pirated copies which were sent for examination in selected film processing labs had revealed that the CDs were pirated here.
“The sophisticated machines in those labs are capable of identifying from the digital print where the piracy occurred and at what time it occurred. They identified that the tempering had occurred in a particular theatre in Thiruvananthapuram city,” he said.
It is also learnt that the investigation team is working on the legal issue quite early so that they could anchor their investigation and then swiftly move over to rapid arrests.