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4 arrested in connection with 'Game of Thrones' episode leak

The case in India isn't tied to the cyberbreach that hit HBO last month and continues to plague the network.

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Anne Dujmovic
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Anne Dujmovic Senior Editor / News
Anne Dujmovic is a senior editor at CNET. She can trace her start in tech journalism back to the San Jose Mercury News during the dot-com boom and bust. Her areas of focus include the climate crisis, democracy and inclusive language. She believes in the power of great journalism and art, and the magic of tardigrades.
Expertise Helps craft editorial standards for writing about complex topics, from climate change to politics to misinformation. Credentials Has over two decades of journalism experience in print and online.
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Game of Thrones

"The Spoils of War," episode 4 of "Game of Thrones," was leaked earlier this month. 

 Macall B. Polay/Courtesy of HBO

If you can't seem to keep all the characters and storylines straight on "Game of Thrones," you can be forgiven for being confused about the leaks tied to the hit show too. 

Four people accused of leaking an episode of the popular HBO series have been arrested in India, according to a report Monday by the AFP news agency.  

Police told AFP the four were arrested for the unauthorized release of episode 4 of the current season, and are "accused of criminal breach of trust and computer-related offenses." The episode leaked from Star India, a company that distributes HBO programming there.

Star India said in a statement that the four people arrested were associated with its technology vendor, Prime Focus Technologies.

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

HBO didn't respond to a request for comment.

The arrests are unrelated to the cyberbreach that hit HBO in July. Since then, hackers have released scripts of "Game of Thrones" in an effort to get the network to pay a ransom. Hackers on Sunday also reportedly leaked episodes of "Insecure" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which is set to return to the network Oct. 1.

Update, 3:03 p.m. PT: Adds a statement from Star India on the arrests.