Sep 20, 2012: The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) has welcomed the conviction of Sydney resident Narender Narwal for the theft and illegal on-sale of subscription television (STV). Narwal appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court where he was convicted for making and selling unauthorised decoders. He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, fully suspended, on entering a good behaviour bond of five years and fined $15,000.
Narwal’s arrest and conviction resulted from an Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigation supported by STV industry investigators, with assistance from anti-piracy experts from Irdeto, who provided on-site support and technical evidence for the AFP. Narwal was involved in the sale of unauthorised set top boxes programmed to provide a network of people with access to stolen STV channels through an illegal system that used the internet to hack into encoded broadcasts.