🚔🚨🚔🚨  *"Delhi Police Bust more than ₹2.4 Crore NCERT Piracy Racket: Father-Son Duo Nabbed, Over 1.7 Lakh Fake Books Seized in Mega Raid"* 
BRIEF OF INCIDENT:
On 16th May, 2025, confidential information was received by Shahdara District from a reliable secret informer regarding the illegal sale of counterfeit NCERT textbooks at at Mandoli Road Shahdara, in the area of PS M.S.Park and other areas. The informer specifically alerted the officers about a shop that was involved in distributing pirated educational materials, which were being sold unlawfully in the region.
TEAM & OPERATION: 
     Upon receiving this critical information, the SpecialStaff officers immediately relayed the details to Inspector Munish Kumar, who, after assessing the gravity of the situation, instructed that the matter be communicated to senior officers. With their approval, immediately a team comprising SI Bhumeshwer, ASI Pramod, ASI Md. Johar, ASI Nazir, ASI Neeraj, HC Rajeev, HC Anuj (Senior), HC Siddharth, HC Sunil, HC Yoginder, HC Amit, HC Kapil, HC Anuj, HC Nitin, HC Vijay, W/HC Geeta, W/HC Mithlesh, Ct. Rudrapratap, Ct Sunny, Ct. Kailash, Ct. Aman& Ct. Lovepreet, led by Insp. Munish Kumar I/C Special Staff under the supervision of Sh. Gurudev Singh, ACP/Operations was constituted. And a team from NCERT also called for authentication of the NCERT books. After that Sh. Prakashveer Singh, Assistant Production Officer from NCERT—was assembled. The team made their way to the Mandoli Road area as indicated by the informer.
The team proceeded to gather intelligence from the surrounding areas and questioned several individuals who were in the vicinity of Mandoli Road. However, these individuals were uncooperative and quickly left the scene without providing any useful information.
Despite this setback, the team did not delay and moved directly to the suspected shop identified by the informer—Anupam Sales, located at 1/4649/22 B, Mandoli Road, Ram Nagar, Delhi. Upon entering the shop, the officers found that it was indeed operating illegally, selling pirated NCERT books and other counterfeit educational materials.
The two individuals found operating the shop were Prashant Gupta (48 years old) and Nishant Gupta (26 years old), These individuals were identified as the owners of Anupam Sales and were found present at the shop at the time of the raid. Alongside them, approximately 5-6 labourers were found, who were reportedly assisting in the illegal activities. 
The raid led to the recovery of 27 counterfeit NCERT textbooks, which were found to be pirated versions of official Social Science textbooks for Class 12. These books, upon inspection by Sh. Prakashveer Singh, NCERT were confirmed to be unauthorized reproductions and in violation of copyright Act. The counterfeit books were bearing forged signatures of both the shopkeeper and the NCERT official, Sh. Prakashveer Singh, in an attempt to give the pirated materials a false semblance of legitimacy.
The recovered textbooks included various Social Science papers and were marked with fraudulent price tags and codes, which closely mimicked the original NCERT books. This finding was consistent with the informer’s tip-off and further corroborated the existence of an illegal market for pirated educational content.
As a result of the raid and subsequent recovery of counterfeit materials, case FIR No. 242/25, u/s 318 BNS (2023) and 63/65 of the Copyright Act (1957) was registered at Police Station M.S. Park. Both the accused individuals were taken into police custody for further interrogation and subsequent legal action.
Interrogation 
During the interrogation of both accused, it was revealed that Prashant Gupta had been running the shop for the past 25 years, and his son Nishant Gupta had joined the business 5 years ago. Driven by greed for quick profits, they had started dealing in pirated books. They confessed that they used to purchase these counterfeit books from store in Hiranki near Alipur, Delhi and then bring them to sell at their shop.
Thereafter, the team conducted a raid at the premises disclosed by the accused persons, located at Plot No. 35 (34 & 35), Ground Floor, Shiv Enclave, Kashmiri Colony, Hiranki, Delhi-110036. The premises had been taken on rent and are owned by Mr. Arvind Kumar s/o Jai Parkash Gupta r/o House No. 362, Sector-15, Sonipat, Haryana-131001. 
During the raid, approximately 1.6 lakh books were discovered at the location priced around ₹ 2.4 Crore approximately. A team from NCERT was immediately called to the site to verify the authenticity of the books and to assess any potential copyright infringement. Upon examination, the NCERT team confirmed that all the recovered books were in violation of copyright laws. Consequently, appropriate procedures were initiated to seize the infringing materials.
PROFILE OF THE ACUSSED PERSONS:
Nishant Gupta, S/o Prashant Gupta, R/o 93, Savita Vihar, Vivek Vihar, Delhi, Age – 26 years
Prashant Gupta, S/o Sh. S.K. Gupta, R/o 93, Savita Vihar, Vivek Vihar, Delhi, Age – 48 years
Arvind Kumar S/o Jai Prakash Gupta R/o H.No.362, Sector 15, Sonipat, Haryana-131001.
RECOVERY
“Over 1.6 lakh pirated NCERT books, valued at approximately ₹ 2.4 crore, were recovered.”

Further investigations are actively underway to identify the individuals and groups responsible for the printing and circulation of pirated NCERT books. Teams is thoroughly examining the entire supply chain — from illegal printing presses and intermediaries to final points of sale — with the objective of dismantling the entire network facilitating this unlawful activity. Beyond targeting those directly involved in the manufacturing and distribution of the counterfeit books, attention is also turning toward the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) itself. Team is exploring whether systemic shortcomings within NCERT, particularly concerning the limited supply and delayed availability of officially published books, may have inadvertently contributed to the increased demand for pirated copies. With students and educational institutions struggling to obtain genuine books, many may have been compelled to resort to unauthorized alternatives to keep up with academic requirements.
Additionally, the probe is expanding to include the role of potential collaborators or enablers in the broader distribution network. This includes wholesale distributors, local vendors, and even certain educational establishments that may be knowingly or unknowingly complicit in the circulation of these pirated materials. The objective of the investigation is not only to hold the culprits accountable but also to identify and address the root causes that allowed such a parallel market to thrive, ensuring that genuine educational resources remain accessible and affordable for all students. The investigation aims to hold all complicit actors accountable and to reinforce the integrity of educational materials provided to students across the country.

(PRASHANT GAUTAM) IPS
DY. COMMISSIONER OF POLICE 
SHAHDARA DISTRICT, DELHI