iBomma piracy mastermind Immadhi Ravi remanded to 14-day judicial custody

Hyderabad: In a major breakthrough against digital film piracy, Hyderabad Cybercrime Police have arrested and remanded Immadhi Ravi, the alleged mastermind behind the notorious iBomma and Bappam piracy networks, to 14-day judicial custody.

Ravi, who had been running operations from the Caribbean islands, was produced before a magistrate and shifted to Chanchalguda Central Prison.

Police probe deepens after iBomma, Bappam Shutdown

Police sources disclosed that the closure of the iBomma and Bappam TV piracy platforms was carried out using critical access obtained from arrested kingpin Immadhi Ravi, who had earlier thrown a public challenge claiming he possessed data of ‘crores of users’ and dared authorities to stop targeting his websites.

Investigators are now analysing the hundreds of seized hard disks, along with Ravi’s banking and financial records, and have already recovered Rs 3 crore in cash from his possession.

Tracked down Ravi after he fled to Amsterdam

Ravi had been on the run since October 1, the day a case was registered against him. He reportedly travelled to Amsterdam on October 3 and kept changing IP addresses to avoid detection.

Police said he returned to Hyderabad a couple of days ago, assuming the trail had gone cold, but investigators traced him through mobile signals and arrested him at a house in Kukatpally late on Friday.

Custody petition to be filed on Monday

Cybercrime officials plan to file a petition in Nampally Court on Monday seeking seven-day police custody to interrogate Ravi on the full extent of his network, financial channels and overseas links.

Massive piracy operations across 65 mirror sites

The accused is believed to be the central figure behind piracy platforms iBomma, Bappam, and 65 mirror websites, which together attracted nearly 37 lakh monthly users.

He allegedly uploaded pirated Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films, along with OTT content, immediately after release to draw traffic and advertising revenue.

Encrypted channels and crypto payments used

Police said the syndicate relied heavily on encrypted Telegram groups, virtual private servers abroad and cryptocurrency payments to conceal its activities.

Online gaming and betting websites reportedly promoted the pirated films in exchange for advertising slots, helping finance the racket.

Hard disks seized; websites blocked

During searches, police seized hundreds of hard disks from the Kukatpally location. After securing login credentials from Ravi, investigators disabled access to the iBomma and Bappam platforms. Authorities are now examining the accused’s bank and crypto accounts to track money movement.

Tech expert who turned to piracy

A native of Visakhapatnam, Ravi is said to be a highly educated technical expert capable of hacking servers. He allegedly used these skills to steal high-definition film prints while operating from the Caribbean region.

Complaint triggered probe after films leaked on release day

The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce’s Anti-Video Piracy Cell lodged a complaint on August 30 after new releases such as Single, HIT and Kubera appeared online on their opening day. This led to a deeper investigation into the piracy ecosystem.

Earlier arrests exposed the supporting network

Police had earlier arrested five people linked to the syndicate on September 29:

Ashwani Kumar (Bihar): Allegedly hacked servers of digital media firms to steal HD content.

Cyril Infant Raj (Tamil Nadu): Ran piracy sites; earned nearly Rs 2 crore in cryptocurrency.

Jana Kiran Kumar (Hyderabad): Secretly recorded over 100 films in theatres.

Sudhakaran (Tamil Nadu): Confessed to recording 35 South Indian films.

Arsalan Ahmed: Uploaded pirated movies to file-sharing platforms and circulated them via Telegram. Police believe these operatives formed the support system for Ravi’s larger piracy operation.