MultiChoice Group, with the assistance of law enforcement authorities, has conducted anti-piracy operations at five separate locations in Gauteng as it cracks down on streaming pirates.
The company, working with police, conducted two anti-piracy raids at four sites in Florida, Mayfair, Ormonde and Booysens in Johannesburg and one site in Kempton Park in Ekurhuleni.
The operation led to the arrests of “several individuals involved in the illegal distribution of streaming devices preloaded with unauthorised applications for accessing DStv and other premium content”, MultiChoice said in a statement on Tuesday.
“These raids represent significant victories in MultiChoice’s ongoing campaign to protect its content, secure the entertainment industry and reduce risks to consumers associated with pirated devices,” it said. It marks the latest in a series of raids and other law-enforcement activities aimed at cracking down on pirate streaming operations across the country.
The first raid, in Booysens, uncovered a distribution network supplying unauthorised streaming devices, the company said. “Through extensive investigative work, MultiChoice and the directorate for priority crime investigation (DPCI) identified individuals allegedly involved in the sale of these devices, which are embedded with applications allowing illegal access to premium television content. On October 30, an undercover operation led to the arrest of three suspects and the confiscation of multiple devices used in this illicit activity.”
‘Buy and bust’
The second raid, in Kempton Park, involved a similar “buy-and-bust operation” on 29 October. “After purchasing a preloaded device from a suspect, the DPCI moved in to arrest the individual, who was later identified as part of a larger syndicate,” MultiChoice said.
“Using pirated devices poses considerable danger to the public, as individuals paying for unauthorised services risk having their personal information, including payment details, tracked and exploited by criminal syndicates. These criminal networks not only profit from illegal content distribution but also jeopardise consumer data and privacy, often leading to fraud and identity theft,” it added.
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The suspects from both raids have made their initial court appearances. Those arrested in Booysens were granted R5 000 bail each and will appear again after further analysis of confiscated equipment. The Kempton Park suspect appeared in court on 30 October, with the case postponed to 6 November for a more in-depth investigation into their residency status and possible connections to larger criminal networks, MultiChoice said. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media
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