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Indian software pirating suspect faces US extradition

FBI indicted Mumbai man in 2010

An alleged software counterfeiter from India faces possible US extradition.

Nikhil Kablekar, 29, a resident in the Mumbai suburb of Andheri, was arrested by Indian police Wednesday afternoon over alleged hacking and copyright violation offences. Computers, CDs, USB sticks and other evidence was seized from his home by Mumbai police – who were acting on a request from the US Southern District Court, New York.

It's unclear if US authorities will seek Kablekar's extradition or whether an FBI team will travel to Mumbai to question him over his alleged offences. Kablekar allegedly used hacking techniques to defeat copyright protection measures on software titles before creating counterfeit CDs, which he then re-sold.

The case prompted an FBI investigation that led to a March 2010 indictment against Kablekar. Details of what software titles were targeted or the supposed value of the fraud are yet to emerge.

If Kablekar is deported it will become the first such case in in decade, The Times of India reports. Kablekar is due to appear at a court in Delhi later today. ®

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