Fake NCERT books racket busted in US Nagar; mastermind held

RUDRAPUR: Police in Udham Singh Nagar have busted an inter-state racket involved in the printing and distribution of fake NCERT textbooks, arresting a key accused while launching a hunt for other members of the network.Nafis Khan alias Raju, a resident of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on Friday. A case was registered on March 17 at the Rudrapur police station following a complaint by Deepak Kumar, assistant production officer at NCERT, New Delhi. An FIR was lodged under relevant sections of the BNS and the Copyright Act.Officials said the gang rented warehouses in different states to store the fake books. Consignments recovered earlier from Bareilly were transported to a warehouse in Rudrapur.

The book covers were printed at a press in Mathura, assembled, and then shifted to storage facilities in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, for wider distribution.The accused also managed logistics, arranging vehicles to supply the counterfeit books across several districts, including Meerut, and handled payments for warehouse rentals.SSP Ajay Ganpati said Khan has a criminal history, with earlier cases registered against him under charges of cheating, forgery and violations of the Copyright Act in Uttar Pradesh. He will be produced before a court. Further investigation is underway to trace and arrest other members of the racket.