Arrest of Immadi Ravi
Cyberabad Police arrested Immadi Ravi, the main operator and founder of the iBomma piracy website. He landed in Hyderabad from France, and officers immediately took him into custody. After the arrest, the team transferred him to the Kukatpally police station for further legal procedures.
Operations from Abroad
Investigators revealed that Ravi ran the iBomma network from the Caribbean islands. Moreover, he coordinated a remote technical team that uploaded pirated Telugu movies and OTT content within hours of release. This setup allowed the piracy network to operate smoothly across multiple countries.
Financial Action
During the investigation, the police froze bank accounts linked to Ravi. These accounts reportedly held around ₹3 crore, and officials believe the money came from piracy operations. In addition, authorities are now tracing his money trail to identify connections with overseas servers and possible financial partners.
Wider Network Crackdown
Meanwhile, Cybercrime police intensified their crackdown on the entire network. Earlier, the team arrested four agents associated with iBomma and seized several devices used for piracy. Furthermore, officers registered cases against 65 mirror websites, including platforms that replicated iBomma’s content to avoid detection.
Impact on the Industry
According to police estimates, the iBomma piracy network caused huge financial losses to the Telugu film industry. The widespread leak of new releases affected both theatrical business and OTT revenues. Therefore, officials consider this arrest a major breakthrough in the fight against movie piracy in the region.
Statements & Reactions
Media reports indicate that Ravi previously challenged law enforcement and openly criticized anti-piracy operations. However, his arrest now sends a strong message to other piracy operators. Additionally, fact-checkers clarified that a “warning” message circulating online and linked to iBomma is actually old and not part of the current case.
