Monday, December 16, 2002		Feature

Pornographic CDs sell like hot cakes
Kaveli Bajeli-Datt

IT'S illegal, but the business of selling pornographic CDs is too lucrative for shopkeepers to resist selling them, especially when an ever-ready clientele is fuelling demand in the Indian capital.

Delhi Police says the sale and manufacture of such CDs has increased over the years, as it is easy to make mass copies with the help of electronic gizmos.

"Over the past few years the business of selling and manufacturing pornographic CDs has increased," Deputy Commissioner of Police Dinesh Bhatt, who heads the economic cell of the Delhi Police, told IANS.

"Last week we arrested a man who was running a manufacturing unit and seized 10,000 such CDs from him."

Although police are not sure how much profits the shopkeepers make, they estimate the pornographic CD business to be worth millions in the Indian capital.

Till October this year, police seized VCDs and CDs worth Rs.550 million, most of which were pornographic films. The price of a CD varies from Rs.50 to Rs.250.

"It is worrying to us because every neighbourhood and shopping centre has shops where pornographic films are sold clandestinely," Bhatt said.

Most of the CDs are smuggled from Singapore, Nepal and other Asian countries. "Sometimes a cunning shopkeeper on finding the increasing demand makes several copies with a little help of CD recording machine."

"We can’t stop such businessmen until and unless we get complaints or information. When we do get the information we swoop down on such people," Bhatt said.

It was after such a tip off that the police arrested 28-year-old businessman Inderjeet Singh for possessing and selling such CD films in his Palika Bazar shop, an underground shopping mall in downtown Connaught Place.

"From January till December 4 this year we arrested 17 shopkeepers and seized from them nearly 3,000 pornographic CD films," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Niranjan Singh in whose area Inderjeet Singh was arrested.

Niranjan Singh said if such a crime was proved the guilty could be sent to jail for two years along with a fine of Rs.2,000.

Niranjan said, "Society is changing. These days students just out of school may not know what they want to do in life but know which shop in their neighbourhood sells pornographic items."

Another police officer said with technological advances, the problem could only increase. "Most people are computer savvy. Making a copy of a pornographic movie is child’s play as it can be done even at home."

Said Niranjan Singh: "If we find a businessman repeatedly indulging in such activity, we open a ‘history sheet’ against him and keep him under surveillance. He is asked to report to the area police office.