Counterfeit NCERT books worth Rs 9 crore seized in Uttarakhand

In a sweeping crackdown on an elaborate academic fraud, police in Rudrapur have unearthed a staggering haul of counterfeit NCERT textbooks — nearly 10 lakh copies valued at over Rs 9 crore — exposing a shadow network preying on India’s education system.

Acting on a discreet tip-off, a police team led by Udham Singh Nagar SSP Ajay Ganapathy intercepted a canter near Anandam Resort on the night of 14 March. What initially appeared to be a routine transport check soon spiralled into a startling revelation. The driver’s inability to produce a valid e-way bill and inconsistencies in documentation raised suspicion, leading to a deeper probe that cracked open a massive counterfeit operation.

Following the trail, investigators descended upon a warehouse in Kiratpur Koleda, where an astonishing stockpile—over 9.5 lakh fake NCERT books—was discovered. Officials from the National Council of Educational Research and Training were summoned to verify the consignment, and their findings confirmed the deception: substandard printing, inferior paper, flawed binding, and even a forged watermark—brazenly altered from “NCERT” to “ACERT”.

In total, 9,74,085 counterfeit books were seized from the vehicle and the warehouse combined, revealing the scale and sophistication of the racket aimed at deceiving unsuspecting students and institutions.

A case has been registered against the warehouse operator Sandeep and others under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Copyright Act, as authorities now dig deeper to dismantle the network behind this academic counterfeit empire.

Meanwhile, in Dehradun, Uttarakhand DGP Deepam Seth lauded the swift and decisive action of the police team, announcing a cash reward of Rs 20,000 in recognition of their efforts.

What began as a routine interception has thus unfolded into a striking reminder of the lengths to which illicit networks will go — turning even the pages of knowledge into instruments of deception.

With PTI inputs