Rand, MPA: Piracy funds terrorism

May 04, 2009 There is "substantial evidence" that D-Company -- the organized crime syndicate-turned-terrorist group controlled by India's most wanted criminal, Dawood Ibrahim -- "has used the proceeds from film piracy to fund its terrorist organization and activities in India," according to a Rand Corp. report shared Monday by the MPA. Titled "Film Piracy, Organized Crime and Terrorism," the report illustrates how Ibrahim -- who has operated from a base in Dubai for more than two decades and is rumored now to be hiding in Pakistan -- has been able to "vertically integrate D-Company throughout the Indian film and pirate industry, forging a clear pirate monopoly over competitors and launching a racket to control the master copies of pirated Bollywood and Hollywood films." With its own investigative inputs, the Rand Corp. lends serious credibility to the fight against piracy and its links with terrorism and organized crime, Michael Ellis, MPA president and managing director of the Asia Pacific region, said Monday.

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