Kashmir cable operator busted for piracy, streaming Pakistani channels to 50,000 homes
Police have seized amplifiers, consumer-grade set-top boxes, and other transmission equipment, which were allegedly being used to relay pay channels by bypassing authorized systems.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Srinagar Police have registered a major piracy case against Site Entertainment Network (SEN) / SEN Vaadi Digital and its affiliate M/s Take One JK Media Pvt. Ltd., accusing the operators of running an illegal cable distribution network serving nearly 50,000 subscribers in the Kashmir Valley.
The network allegedly charged ₹100–₹200 per month, operating without any valid broadcast licence, and is also suspected of illegally transmitting Pakistani television channels, according to officials familiar with the investigation.
The FIR (a copy of which is with Storyboard18), lodged at Shaheed Gunj Police Station on December 7, follows a detailed complaint filed by representatives of JioStar India Pvt. Ltd., which alleged that SEN was unlawfully pirating and retransmitting encrypted pay TV channels belonging to the broadcaster.
Police have seized amplifiers, consumer-grade set-top boxes, and other transmission equipment, which were allegedly being used to relay pay channels by bypassing authorized systems. Investigators said the operators were using Tata Play and DD Free Dish consumer STBs—intended strictly for individual households—to capture and redistribute channels commercially, a direct violation of broadcasting and copyright laws.
Authorities are also examining evidence indicating that the network streamed Pakistani channels, raising additional national security concerns. “This is not just a broadcast violation. The platform appears to have been carrying foreign channels without approval from Indian authorities,” an official aware of the probe said.
As per the FIR, JioStar had disconnected all authorized signal feeds to Take One JK Media Pvt. Ltd. on December 2, 2025, after the operator failed to clear outstanding subscription dues. Despite the disconnection, SEN Vaadi Digital allegedly continued to relay JioStar’s premium channels through unauthorized feeds, constituting what the complaint describes as “organised cable piracy.”
The FIR—copy of which has been reviewed by Storyboard18—invokes sections 303 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 for theft of movable property (broadcast signals), 37, 51, 63, 65 & 65A of the Copyright Act, 1957 for broadcast reproduction rights violations, copyright infringement, and unauthorized circumvention of technical protection measures
JioStar’s complaint states that the illegal distribution caused significant financial losses by denying government its due share of taxes, bypassing subscription payments owed to the broadcaster and creating an underground cable network that undercut licensed operators.
SEN Vaadi Digital operated out of Shutrashahi near the Boys Higher Secondary School in Batamaloo, while affiliate Take One JK Media Pvt. Ltd. is headquartered in Jammu. Take One had previously held authorized rights from JioStar but lost access following non-payment, after which investigators allege the network continued illegally using improvised setups and household devices.
Police said further arrests are likely, and additional equipment could be seized as the probe widens. Investigators are now examining subscriber records, payment collections, and possible links with distributors who supplied the illegal feeds.
