Unable to curb the thickening piracy cobweb, big players like Moser Baer, Eros International, Studio 18 and UTV Software Communication have hired the services of private investigating agency A A Khan and Associates for the first time.

Headed by Mumbai Police’s former Anti-Terrorist Squad chief, A A Khan, the agency was hired by the companies last month and preliminary investigations have revealed some hard facts about Gujarat.

“Some of the major cities of Gujarat are playing a key role in strengthening the piracy network of DVDs and CDs of latest Bollywood movies. The industry has suffered a loss of Rs 2,000 crore due to the illegal activity and cities like Surat and Vadodara are developing on the lines of Mumbai as the biggest centres of this crime,” said Khan in a telephonic interview.

Thirty-four raids have been conducted in Gujarat and Maharashtra since December 26, 2008, with the police confiscating DVDs and CDs worth Rs 95 lakh.

The modus operandi behind piracy remains the same. Using digital technology, the pirates make several copies of a new film and distribute them in the remotest district of the state in no time. The result: CDs of Slumdog Millionaire were available before its India release; DVDs of latest blockbuster Ghajini were available in the market much before the release of its original version.

Khan said: “Earlier, pirated CDs were made in Dubai from the film prints meant for overseas theatres. These pirated versions were then supplied to various places in India viaMumbai. But now, the scenario has changed. The pirates are getting access to the original prints, even from the main distributor in some cases, in Maharashtra and Gujarat. As a result, the CDs are available on the same day of a film’s release.”

With pirated CDs and DVDs being sold everywhere, the illegal racket has gone unchecked for years. Khan said he plans to tighten the noose on everyone from producers to retail distributors at every level. The work has already started in important cities in Maharashtra and Gujarat.