Police Seek More Information About iBomma Ravi’s Associates
Hyderabad: Cybercrime authorities on Thursday detained Immadi Ravi of iBomma, accused of movie piracy, and questioned her about her associates and technical team who helped upload pirated movies on 66 mirror websites in the last six years, police sources said.
Information about his associates became vital after several pirate websites resurfaced after the police forced Ravi to shut them down.
Police escorted him from Chanchalguda Central Jail around 11.20 am and brought him to the CCS office in Basheerbagh on Thursday. He was seen wearing a navy blue round-neck T-shirt and black trousers. His face was covered with a black and white checkered towel. Noticing the media personnel, the person collapsed into the back seat of the vehicle.
A special team, including DCP, CCS and other senior police officers, interrogated Ravi. The officer added that he was reportedly questioned about more than 21,000 Indian language movies stored in hard drives seized from him.
Ravi’s statement was videotaped in the presence of his lawyer as per court instructions. A police official said the recording will be used as evidence during the investigation.
Police also questioned him about his visits to the US, UAE and other foreign countries, including the people he met and the purpose of these meetings. Sources added that the interrogation was based on STR and CDR data obtained from his local and international contacts stored on three mobile phones seized during his arrest.
Officials revealed that investigators pressured Ravi to reveal how he collected personal data of 50 lakh people, the identities of the cybercriminals, the gaming and betting operators to whom he provided this information, and the total illegal revenue earned from promoting betting apps on iBomma, apart from the Rs 20 crore he earned.
Although Ravi is forced to block the original iBomma movie piracy website after his arrest, the emergence of several new piracy platforms complicates the investigation. Although the multi-layered iBomma website was blocked, multiple mirror websites became active soon after Ravi’s arrest.
Sources confirmed that active OTT piracy websites like ‘iBomma-1’, ‘MovieRules’ and ‘TamilMV’ continue to upload movies through platforms like Bappan TV on the day of release, adding that blocking them remains a major challenge.
Police sources said that on the second day of detention, Ravi will be directed to block all active mirror websites linked to the main site he created.
Mirror hacking platforms emerged after Ravi’s arrest. Investigators have obtained data from seized devices to identify additional active promoters and are working to block these sites.
“This is the first day of interrogation. During the five-day detention period, we will block the designated mirror domains and finalize the case,” said a police officer.
Police have collected significant evidence showing that Ravi and his associates were planning to activate ‘iBomma-1’ as a backup platform.
During the investigation, ‘iBomma-1’ and several other mirror hacking platforms were discovered. Users who click on the movies are directed to alternative sites such as ‘MovieRules’ where the movies can still be downloaded.
These mirror platforms have become a serious concern for researchers. Sources added that cybercrime teams and forensic experts have identified dozens of similar sites and are trying to block them using advanced software tools.
