iBomma Admin Held Data of 50 Lakh Users: Hyderabad CP Sajjanar
Hyderabad Commissioner of Police VC Sajjanar convened a high-level meeting with prominent members of the Telugu film industry on Monday to address the rapidly escalating threat of digital piracy. Top personalities including producer Dil Raju, filmmaker SS Rajamouli, and actors Nagarjuna and Chiranjeevi participated in the discussion, emphasizing the urgency of the issue.
The meeting comes in the wake of the arrest of iBomma administrator Immadi Ravi, who was taken into custody in Hyderabad just days ago. Speaking to the media, Sajjanar said that the Telugu Film Industry (TFI) has suffered massive financial losses due to piracy, and Ravi’s arrest is a significant step in an ongoing crackdown.
According to the Commissioner, four cases have been registered against Ravi under the Copyright Act and the Information Technology Act. Sajjanar also recalled previous arrests of individuals like Prashant and Sivaraj, involved in similar piracy networks.
Sajjanar revealed that Ravi inflicted severe damage not just through film piracy but also by promoting and running online betting applications. These illegal apps, he said, have led to the loss of several lives due to gambling addictions and related crimes. Even when authorities blocked these platforms, Ravi continued to revive them by launching new apps and creating 65 mirror websites to keep the operations alive.
A shocking aspect of the investigation was the discovery of 21,000 pirated movies stored on Ravi’s hard drive — ranging from classics like Godfather (1972) to recent releases such as OG. Through piracy and associated illicit activities, Ravi reportedly earned ₹20 crore, of which ₹3 crore has been seized so far.
In a major concern for cybersecurity, Sajjanar revealed that Ravi maintained a database of 50 lakh subscribers. Such a vast repository of user data, he warned, poses a serious threat, as it can be exploited by cybercriminals for fraud, identity theft, and other illegal activities.
The Commissioner assured that the police department will continue to intensify its efforts to dismantle piracy networks and safeguard both the film industry and public from digital exploitation.
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