Three suspects arrested over ‘Taandob’ piracy

Since its release, the film "Taandob", starring Shakib Khan and directed by Raihan Rafi, has garnered enormous public interest. Opening in more than a hundred cinemas nationwide, the project even left some viewers complaining of ticket shortages. Demand is especially strong in multiplexes, where exhibitors have multiplied the daily screenings several-fold compared with other titles.

Amid the box‑office success, reports emerged that an HD copy of "Taandob" had been leaked on YouTube and other platforms. In response, the production company adopted a hard line. The producer, Shahriar Shakil, filed a complaint with the police seeking legal action under copyright legislation, and detectives have now arrested three suspects in connection with the piracy. At around 11:45 am today (Wednesday), Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch (DB) Joint Commissioner Nasirul Islam confirmed the arrests to Prothom Alo.

The three individuals arrested in connection with the piracy of "Taandob" are Tipu Sultan from Noakhali, Sadi Sad from Mymensingh, and Sajedul Islam from Sirajganj.

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On Tuesday night, it was confirmed that Tipu Sultan (35), one of the suspects involved in the "Taandob" piracy case, had been arrested in Noakhali by the district's Detective Branch (DB) police. The news was confirmed later that evening by Noakhali's Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations), Mohammad Ibrahim. Tipu Sultan was arrested around 5:45 pm in the district town of Maijdee. He is the son of Khalilur Rahman, of Kalikapur village in Ward 4 of Jirtali Union, Begumganj Upazila, Noakhali.

According to police, Tipu Sultan illegally pirated the film and distributed its full HD copy across various platforms. Following the leak, the film's producer, Shahriar Karim Bhuiyan (also known as Shahriar Shakil), filed a case under the Copyright Act at Banani Police Station in Dhaka, naming Tipu Sultan as the primary accused. Acting on a tip-off, the Detective Branch (DB) police conducted a raid and arrested him.

Noakhali's Additional Superintendent of Police, Mohammad Ibrahim, stated that Tipu has confessed to his involvement in the piracy. He will be sent to Dhaka, where Banani Police Station will proceed with legal action against him.

It has also been reported that Sadi Sad was arrested in Mymensingh, and Sajedul Islam in Savar. The production company has claimed that all three detainees had connections with one or more cinemas. Police are currently investigating how the piracy was carried out.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, producer Shahriar Shakil said, "Those of us who make films, we do so not just to entertain the audience, but there's also a business side to it. After making a film, a producer must overcome many hurdles, and in our country, the biggest of those is piracy. Our previous film, 'Borbaad', was also pirated, but no firm action was taken at the time. After this incident with 'Taandob', I realised that if we had taken a stronger stance back then, the people involved in piracy wouldn't have had the courage to do it again now."

He further added, "The swift action by the DB has given us hope. We now want to know exactly how the copy of the film reached the accused. We also want the root of the piracy network to be unearthed and destroyed. Unless exemplary punishment is handed down to those involved in piracy, making films in this country will become impossible."