In a significant crackdown on intellectual property theft in the education sector, the MIDC police in Nagpur conducted a major raid on a printing press, uncovering a large-scale operation for illegally producing state board textbooks. The action led to the seizure of thousands of counterfeit books and the arrest of the press owner.
Raid Unearths Massive Racket
Acting on a specific tip-off, a police team led by Senior Police Inspector Gokul Mahajan raided the Pratibha Printing Press located in the Digdoh area of Hingna MIDC. The information suggested that the facility was involved in printing duplicate copies of official Balbharati textbooks. Upon inspection, the police found their suspicions confirmed.
Rajesh Potdukhe, the Production Officer of Balbharati, confirmed to reporters that the raid revealed a substantial stock of illegally printed educational material. As the police operation began, the staff working at the press allegedly fled the scene, leaving behind the evidence of the illicit activity.
Conflicting Numbers and Missing Logos
The scale of the illegal printing operation became a point of discussion, with officials providing varying estimates. While Potdukhe stated that between 10,000 and 20,000 illegally printed books were found on the premises, Dilip Witkar, the sales store manager for Balbharati in Nagpur, estimated the number to be higher, in the range of 20,000 to 30,000 books.
A key giveaway of the counterfeit nature of the seized books was the absence of official Balbharati logos. This raised serious concerns among authorities that a significant quantity of these pirated books may have already been sold in the open market, potentially reaching students across the state.
Owner Claims Ignorance, Police Probe Subcontracting Angle
The owner of the printing press, identified as Rajesh Lanjewar, was taken into police custody following the raid. During questioning, Lanjewar reportedly claimed he was unaware that the work order he received was for printing the textbooks illegally.
The police investigation has now taken a crucial turn. Officials revealed that the legitimate contract for printing Balbharati textbooks had been awarded to a company based in Thane. The MIDC police are actively investigating whether this Thane-based company subcontracted the printing work to Pratibha Printers, leading to the illegal duplication. A formal case has been registered under various sections of the law, including those pertaining to copyright violation.
Balbharati, formally known as the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research, is the autonomous state government body responsible for creating, developing, and publishing all textbooks and educational material for Maharashtra State Board schools from Classes 1 to 12. This incident highlights the ongoing challenges in protecting copyrighted educational content from being exploited by unauthorized printers for profit.
