DU graduate arrested for selling pirated NCERT books in Delhi, over 5,000 copies seized

A Delhi University graduate has been arrested after a police raid on a godown in outer Delhi where more than 5,000 pirated NCERT textbooks were seized, an officer said on Friday.

The books, meant for students from Classes 1 to 12, were confiscated after the Delhi Police dismantled a syndicate involved in the distribution of counterfeit educational material across the national capital and its neighbouring areas.

The accused, identified as Arvind Kumar, was caught during the raid conducted by the Crime Branch at Shahbad Daulatpur village following specific inputs, the Delhi Police officer said.

According to the police, a team had been monitoring a syndicate suspected of printing and distributing pirated educational material across Delhi and the national capital region (NCR).

“Acting on a tip-off, on March 12, the team learnt that a large consignment of pirated NCERT books was being stored in a godown located in Shahbad Daulatpur for sale in the market,” the officer said.

A team was formed and during the search of the premises, police found thousands of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks in both Hindi and English medium stacked inside the godown.

“Officials of the NCERT were called to the spot to verify the books. After examining the material, they confirmed that the textbooks were counterfeit,” the officer added.

Following this confirmation, the accused was apprehended and the entire stock of 5,011 pirated books was seized. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway to trace other members of the racket.

According to an official statement from the Delhi Police, Kumar originally hails from Bihar and came to Delhi in 2003, where his father worked as a newspaper hawker. He graduated from Hansraj College, Delhi University, and later pursued a master’s degree from IGNOU.

After failing to secure a government job through competitive examinations, he allegedly started selling pirated NCERT books in 2022.

The police said Kumar is a repeat offender and has been previously booked in two cases related to the sale of pirated books in Delhi. Investigators are now trying to identify other members of the network involved in printing, storage and distribution of counterfeit NCERT textbooks in the region.