Police Arrest Alleged IBomma Kingpin Immadi Ravi, Exposing Massive Piracy Network That Cost Telugu Film Industry Thousands of Crores

Hyderabad, Nov 2025 : The Hyderabad City Police have arrested Immadi Ravi, the alleged mastermind behind the notorious movie piracy website IBomma, which is believed to have caused financial losses amounting to thousands of crores to the Telugu film industry. Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar announced the arrest following a meeting with leading film personalities, including Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, director S.S. Rajamouli, and producer Dil Raju.

Addressing a press conference at the Command and Control Centre, Commissioner Sajjanar revealed that Ravi had confessed to earning nearly ₹20 crore through his illegal piracy operations. Police have already seized ₹3 crore from him and are continuing to trace additional financial trails. Investigators also discovered that Ravi maintained a database of nearly 50 lakh subscribers, raising concerns about the possible misuse or sale of their personal information.

The police investigation exposed a sophisticated digital network that Ravi used to evade law enforcement. He reportedly operated 65 mirror websites hosted on servers in the United States and the Netherlands, making it difficult for authorities to shut down the piracy routes permanently. The police further stated that the platform was widely used to promote betting apps—an alarming link that has been associated with multiple cases of youth suicides.

Calling piracy a “nationwide menace,” Sajjanar emphasized that Ravi’s network had illegally uploaded thousands of films from both Bollywood and Tollywood, causing widespread economic damage and undermining the livelihoods of film workers across the country.

The Commissioner also disclosed details about Ravi’s criminal background. He had created a fake PAN card and driving licence under the alias ‘Prahlad’ in Maharashtra, and had even managed to obtain citizenship in a Caribbean nation, which he used to mask his identity while operating overseas servers and financial channels.

Five cases have been registered against Ravi under the IT Act and the Copyright Act. His associates, Duddela Sivaraj and Prashanth, had been apprehended earlier, further strengthening the case against the piracy ring.

Representatives from the film industry commended the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police for their relentless efforts. Speaking at the event, megastar Chiranjeevi expressed deep anguish over the impact of piracy. “It is wrong for one person to steal the hard work of thousands,” he said. “Our industry survives on the creativity and labour of countless people. Individuals like Ravi are robbing thousands of families. Only strict punishment can deter such criminals.”

Chiranjeevi also praised the continuous vigilance of the Hyderabad Police in tackling piracy-related crimes.

Just two days prior to the announcement, Hyderabad Police had arrested Ravi and successfully blocked the IBomma website using his login credentials. Authorities have seized over ₹3 crore from his accounts and confiscated hundreds of hard drives containing pirated content.

Ravi has been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. His arrest marks a significant breakthrough for the Telugu film industry, which has been battling the growing threat of digital piracy for years.