Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd has filed an FIR at Banaswadi police station, Bangalore against a suspect who was arrested on August 12, 2022, for illegal uploading and distribution of the film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’.

The arrest was made upon a tip received by Viacom18 from Cinepolis, Orient Mall, Bangalore.

Police have unearthed incriminating material during the investigation and there are possibilities of an organized crime syndicate operating in the arena of illegal uploading and distribution of pirated content, Financial Express reported.

It is important to take proactive measures to prevent piracy or infringement, Anil Lale, general counsel, Viacom18, said, “Viacom18 pledges its continuous support in the fight against piracy. We shall continue our endeavor to create a secure and piracy-free space. We believe it is even more important to be involved and actively participate in the execution process to give effect to the larger interest we are trying to achieve.”

According to the company, from the preliminary investigation by the police, it is suspected that the accused may be involved in a larger piracy racket with websites such as Tamil Rockers and Prime Rockers, engaged in uploading and illegally distributing pirated content.

Such pirate websites cause huge losses to the producers, content owners, and creators by their illegal acts, the company stated.

The arrest of the accused is a beacon of hope for all content creators and in fact, this could be a huge step towards action against pirates and a big sigh of relief for the industry.  This arrest could lead to the unfolding of larger pirate rackets and the wrongdoers may be brought to justice.

Recently, in a pre-emptive action to curb piracy and infringement of content, Viacom18 had secured injunctive reliefs from Madras High Court against a host of more than 12,000 specified websites/links, specified cable operators, internet service providers as well as unknown persons restraining them from infringing the film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ or any part thereof by copying, recording, reproducing, distributing, or downloading, etc. in any manner whatsoever without proper license from the Producer of the Film.