Police Seek More Information About iBomma Ravi’s Associates
A special team, in the presence of the DCP, CCS, and other senior police officers, interrogated Ravi. He was reportedly questioned about more than 21,000 Indian-language movies found stored in the hard disks seized from him, the officer added.
Hyderabad: Cybercrime officials on Thursday took custody of movie piracy accused Immadi Ravi of iBomma and questioned him about his associates and the technical team that assisted in uploading pirated films on 66 mirror websites over the past six years, police sources said.
The information about his associates turned crucial in the wake of reemergence of several pirated websites after the police forced Ravi to take them down.
The police escorted him from Chanchalguda Central Prison at around 11.20 am and brought him to the CCS office in Basheerbagh on Thursday. He was spotted wearing a navy blue round-neck T-shirt and black trousers. His face was covered with a black-and-white checked towel. He bent down in the rear seat of the vehicle upon noticing media personnel.
A special team, in the presence of the DCP, CCS, and other senior police officers, interrogated Ravi. He was reportedly questioned about more than 21,000 Indian-language movies found stored in the hard disks seized from him, the officer added.
Ravi’s statement was video recorded in the presence of his counsel, as per court instructions. The recording will be used as evidence during prosecution, a police official said.
Police further questioned him about his visits to the US, UAE, and other foreign nations — including the people he met and the purpose of those meetings. The questioning was based on STR and CDR data retrieved from his local and international contacts stored in three mobile phones seized during his arrest, sources added.
Investigators pressed Ravi to explain how he collected the personal data of 50 lakh individuals, the identities of cybercriminals, gaming and betting operators he supplied it to, and the total illegal revenue generated from promoting betting apps on iBomma, apart from `20 crore he earned, officials disclosed.
Despite Ravi being forced to block the original iBomma movie piracy website after his arrest, several new piracy platforms have surfaced, complicating the investigation. Although the multilayered iBomma website was blocked, multiple mirror websites became active soon after Ravi’s arrest.
Active OTT piracy websites such as ‘iBomma-1’, ‘MovieRules’, and ‘TamilMV’ continue to upload films on the day of release through platforms including Bappan TV, sources confirmed, adding that blocking them remains a major challenge.
On the second day of custody, Ravi will be directed to block all active mirror websites linked to the mother site he created, police sources said.
The mirror piracy platforms emerged following Ravi’s arrest. Investigation teams have retrieved data from his seized devices to identify additional active promoters and are working to block these sites.
"This is the first day of questioning. During the five-day custody period, we will block identified mirror domains and conclude the case," a police officer said.
Police have gathered substantial evidence showing that Ravi and his associates planned to activate ‘iBomma-1’ as a backup platform.
During the investigation, ‘iBomma-1’ was discovered, along with several other mirror piracy platforms. Users clicking on films are redirected to alternate sites such as ‘MovieRules’, where movies can still be downloaded.
These mirror platforms have become a serious concern for investigators. Cybercrime teams and forensic experts have identified dozens of similar sites and are attempting to block them using advanced software tools, sources added.
