Based on information from the Hyderabad City Police, the alleged operator of the iBomma piracy network, “iBomma Ravi,” has been implicated in a massive criminal enterprise involving far more than just film distribution.
The Piracy Operation
The core of the operation involved widespread media piracy. Ravi was allegedly found with 21,000 pirated film files, spanning releases from Godfather to OG, stored across multiple hard disks. He is accused of running this content on a network of 61 different piracy mirror sites.
Massive Data Theft
More alarmingly, Ravi is accused of stealing and possessing the private data of nearly 5 million (50 lakh) users. Authorities report that he encouraged the public to download and install his applications (APK files) onto their mobile phones. These apps were allegedly designed to steal personal data from the devices, which he then sold to other criminals, enabling them to commit further cybercrimes against the victims.
A Global Criminal Enterprise
The police detail a sophisticated international operation that began in 2019. Ravi allegedly purchased 110 domains and hosted his servers in the Netherlands and other countries to mask his activities. The financial scale is staggering, with alleged earnings of ₹20 crore, which were routed through 35 different bank accounts. Authorities have seized ₹3 crore and are actively tracing the full money trail. Ravi was also reportedly involved in betting applications.
Deception and Evasion
To operate globally and evade detection, Ravi allegedly obtained a driving license and a PAN card using fake names. He also successfully acquired citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis. He reportedly lived in France and traveled frequently to international hubs, including the Netherlands, Dubai, and the US.
