In a major crackdown on academic piracy, the Delhi Police have uncovered a large-scale counterfeit textbook racket, arresting three individuals—including a father-son duo—and seizing over 1.7 lakh pirated NCERT books valued at more than Rs 2.4 crore, officials said on Monday.
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In a major crackdown on academic piracy, the Delhi Police have uncovered a large-scale counterfeit textbook racket, arresting three individuals—including a father-son duo—and seizing over 1.7 lakh pirated NCERT books valued at more than Rs 2.4 crore, officials said on Monday.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Prashant Gautam, the arrested individuals have been identified as Prashant Gupta, his son Nishant Gupta, and Arvind Kumar. The Guptas were operating a shop on Mandoli Road where pirated textbooks were being sold as authentic NCERT material.
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Acting on a tip-off received on Friday about the illegal sale of NCERT books, police conducted a raid at the shop named Anupam Sales and recovered 27 pirated Class 12 Social Science textbooks.
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The senior officer noted that the seized books bore forged NCERT emblems and counterfeit signatures, making them appear genuine.
“Officials from NCERT were present during the raid and confirmed the books were counterfeit, in violation of the Copyright Act,” said DCP Gautam.
During interrogation, the accused disclosed the source of the pirated books—a warehouse in Hiranki, near Alipur.
A subsequent raid at the facility, owned by Arvind Kumar and allegedly used for storing counterfeit materials, led to the recovery of approximately 1.7 lakh pirated books.
An NCERT team confirmed that the entire consignment violated copyright laws.
Further investigation revealed that Prashant Gupta had been operating the shop for over 20 years, with his son joining the business five years ago. Attracted by the prospect of high profits, they began dealing in pirated textbooks sourced from unauthorized suppliers.
Based on their statements, an FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Copyright Act at MS Park Police Station. All three accused have been arrested and legal proceedings are underway.
The police are continuing their probe to uncover the full network behind the production, distribution, and sale of counterfeit NCERT books, the DCP added.
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