THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major breakthrough in their fight against Malayalam movie piracy, the anti-piracy cell (APC) officials on Thursday recorded the arrest of two people. The arrested have been identified as Sudhakar (50) and his son Ashok (27), natives of Bangalore.
The APC officials identified them as the source of all piracy activities which have been bothering the film industries down south, especially the Malayalam film industry, for long. The father-son duo produced pirated copies of latest movies running in theatres in collusion with the theatre staff. They chose movie theatres in Bangalore for their unlawful activities.
"It has to be noted that ever since the APC registered a case against them three months ago, no pirated movies were released in the market. They have been evading arrest by hiding in different places like Thirupathi, Dharmasthala, Mysore and Chennai. They surrendered before a magistrate court in Chennai after the APC closed all possible ways for them to escape," said APC DySP Rafeek.
Ashok was the main player. He used a digital camera to record the movies played on big screen. The sound track of the movie was recorded directly from the projector room with the help of the projector operators whom they had made their accomplices by offering money. The duo was wanted by the APC officials ever since the arrest of five members of an inter-state piracy racket three months ago.
The APC zeroed in on the gang after they identified a theatre in Bangalore, from where a pirated copy of a Malayalam movie, Swapnasanchari, was produced. The theatre was identified by the forensic science laboratory authorities who examined the copies and traced the digital signature inscribed on the copy.
It was the theatre manager, who landed in the custody of the APC along with the gang, who had tipped them off about the father-son duo.
APC sub-inspector Anoop, said that it was Sudhakar who guided his son Ashok too to the wrong path. Sudhakar has been active in the field for the past 30 years. He started off making pirated copies of movies from film reels. His profession as a carrier of film reels from theatre to theatre, helped him operate without being suspected. With the advent of digital cinema, he brought in his son, who was more acquainted with modern technology.
The duo was produced before the court on Thursday. The APC immediately took them into custody from judicial remand for further investigation. They will be taken to Bangalore for collecting evidence on Friday.
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