Delhi Police’s Crime Branch uncovered a racket involving pirated NCERT textbooks and apprehended a warehouse owner in a raid in north Delhi. Over 5,000 counterfeit books were seized during the operation. The accused, identified as Arvind Kumar, was taken into custody from the Shahbad Daulatpur village warehouse.
Acting on a tip-off, the Anti-Robbery and Snatching Cell of the Crime Branch conducted the raid, recovering 5,011 pirated copies of NCERT books for students from Class I to Class XII. The recovered books included both English and Hindi editions. The Crime Branch had been monitoring a syndicate engaged in printing and selling pirated NCERT textbooks in Delhi and the National Capital Region.
A special team, led by Inspectors Mangesh Tyagi and Robin Tyagi, seized a large number of pirated NCERT textbooks from the warehouse. Representatives from the National Council of Educational Research and Training confirmed the books’ counterfeit nature. The police have registered a case under relevant laws at the Crime Branch police station and are investigating further to uncover the entire network involved in the production and distribution of pirated textbooks.
Officials revealed that Arvind Kumar turned to selling pirated NCERT books in 2022 after facing setbacks in competitive exams. Police records indicate his involvement in similar cases in 2020 and 2025. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime-I) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav stated that investigations are ongoing to identify the broader network behind the illicit publication and circulation of pirated textbooks.
