In a latest development into the ongoing crackdown on film piracy, the Hyderabad police on Friday took custody of a key suspect linked to the iBomma piracy website. The accused, Immadhi Ravi, is alleged to have overseen the uploading and distribution of pirated Telugu films and OTT content on the platform.
Ravi was picked up from a residence in Kukatpally late on Friday and handed over to the Cybercrime wing of the Hyderabad police, said an official aware of the matter.
This comes after the cybercrime wing of the Hyderabad police arrested five individuals accused of orchestrating the illegal distribution of high-definition film prints in September. The accused included Ashwani Kumar from Bihar, described as the kingpin who allegedly hacked servers of digital media companies to steal HD copies; Cyril Infant Raj from Tamil Nadu, who is believed to have managed piracy websites and earned nearly ₹2 crore in cryptocurrency; Hyderabad’s Jana Kiran Kumar, who reportedly recorded more than 100 films in cinemas using concealed mobile devices; Sudhakaran from Erode, who admitted to recording thirty-five south Indian films; and Arsalan Ahmed, who allegedly uploaded pirated films to file-sharing platforms and circulated them through Telegram channels.
The investigation that began on June 5 2025, when the Anti-Video Piracy Cell of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce lodged a complaint after #Single and HIT: The Third Case surfaced online on their release days. A subsequent complaint followed after Kuberaa was pirated in a similar manner.
Investigators found that the network relied heavily on encrypted Telegram groups, overseas virtual private servers and cryptocurrency payments to mask its activities. Online gaming and betting websites were used to promote the pirated content, financing the racket in exchange for advertising.
Published – November 15, 2025 09:55 pm IST
