With Calcutta emerging as the clear winner among the metros in the trade of pirated CDs, MP3 compilations, cassettes and music-related software, the Indian Music Industry (IMI) has begun a counter-offensive.

?The IMI anti-piracy team, with police help, has begun raids across the city. In the past four months, we have seized fake goods worth over Rs 66.54 lakh. But the illegal market has spread roots and the raids had to be intensified,? said T.P. Singh, senior IMI investigator in Calcutta.

Officials say even fake hardware resembling branded products are readily available in the grey market, with the police turning a blind eye.

?It is a multi-crore business, but we are committed to step up our drive across the country. Hence, the anti-piracy raids with police help,? says Vijay Lazarus, president, IMI and Phonographic Performance Limited, IMI?s licensing arm.

In Calcutta, Chandni Chowk, Temple Street, Park Street, Esplanade and Halisahar in the north have been identified as the hubs of manufacture and sale of the fakes.

?The extent of piracy is unimaginable. We are trying to organise awareness campaigns to motivate Calcuttans against buying pirated items,? said D. Lahiri, proprietor of Asha Audio.

Though raids are conducted in other metros as well, experts say over the years Calcutta has emerged as the clear winner in terms of the potential of the piracy market.

?The city has small, secret manufacturing hubs, which, strangely, the police have not been able to bust in all these years. For instance, the Chandni Chowk market continues to thrive and expand despite frequent raids,? said another senior inspector of the IMI.

Genuine manufacturers have run into huge losses as music pirates have succeeded in making high-quality copies of software at lower prices.

?In places like Halisahar, political leaders support the piracy market and fakes are easily available,? an IMI spokesman said.