Arrests made over ‘Game of Thrones’ leak

Four people have been arrested in relation to the leak of an unaired episode of “Game of Thrones”, according to Star India, a fully owned subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.

On August 4, the entertainment company confirmed the compromise of episode 4 of “Game of Thrones” season 7.

“We take this breach very seriously and have immediately initiated forensic investigations at our and the technology partner’s end to swiftly determine the cause. This is a grave issue and we are taking appropriate legal remedial action,” said a Star India spokesperson.

US TV network HBO produces the popular fantasy series, and Star India is one of its international distribution partners.

Star India complained to law enforcement which, it said, had made “significant progress”.

Four people associated with Star India’s technology vendor have been arrested.

The episode, which was scheduled to be aired for viewing in the US and India on August 7, was leaked and made available for viewing on the internet.

“This is the first time in the history of Star India that an incident of this nature has occurred. We are deeply grateful to the police for their swift and prompt action,” said Star India, in an announcement made yesterday.

Today, newspapers including The Independent announced that episode 6 had been aired four days early by mistake.

The reports said HBO Spain appears to have accidentally released the episode, which was available to subscribers for one hour before being removed. That was enough time for the episode to be ripped and shared online.