The arrest of Immadi Ravi, the alleged mastermind behind the notorious piracy website iBomma, by the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police shook the world of digital piracy. Ravi is now at the center of one of India’s biggest anti-piracy crackdowns. He is known for leaking thousands of Telugu and regional films.
Authorities say that the founder of iBomma could face up to seven years in prison under several parts of the IT Act, the BNS, and the Copyright Act as investigators find mirror sites, offshore servers, and a network linked to betting sites. The case has sparked a lot of discussion about digital safety, the losses in the film industry, and the growth of international piracy networks.
Table of Contents
iBomma Founder Name, Age, Education, Net worth, Wife and more
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ravi Immadi (also known as “iBomma Ravi”) |
| Age | Approx. 39 years (as per reports) |
| Place of Origin | Visakhapatnam |
| Education | From Andhra University, I got my BSc in Computer Science. From ICFAI Business School in Mumbai, I got my MBA. |
| Career / Background | Web design and development; started ER Infotech in 2010 to help people register domains, host websites, and build websites. |
| iBomma & BappamTV | He Started iBomma in 2019; later launched Bappam TV |
| Citizenship | Gave up Indian citizenship in 2022 and became a citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis, a Caribbean country. |
| Personal Life | They got married in 2016 (interfaith marriage) but later split up. His father used to work for BSNL and is now retired. |
| Alleged Illegal Activities | Had about 21,000 illegal movies on file. Ran about 65 mirror sites on servers in other countries (the US, the Netherlands, and Switzerland). Sent users to illegal online betting sites and got data from about 5 million users. Made about ₹20 crore from promoting piracy and betting. |
| Net Wealth/Assets | Police took about ₹3–3.5 crore from bank accounts. Allegedly used illegal money to buy real estate (plots/flats). |
| Technical Skills / Modus Operandi | Good with web technology; used DRM-bypass, offshore servers, Cloudflare, and domain-mirroring to get around takedowns. |
| Criminal Charges / Risk | The Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police arrested him and charged him with breaking the IT Act, the Copyright Act, and other laws. |
What Happened: Overview
- Arrest
- Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have arrested Immadi Ravi, who is thought to be the brains behind the piracy websites iBomma and Bappam TV.
- A local court has given the police five days to question the suspect.
- He was previously held in judicial custody for 14 days.
- Scale of the Piracy Operation
- Police say Ravi ran a big piracy network that leaked Telugu and other regional-language movies, even very new ones.
- He used a lot of “mirror” websites (65 mirror domains) to avoid being taken down.
- The police say that he had about 21,000 pirated movies in his possession.
- Police say that his illegal earnings from the piracy network are very high, around ₹20 crore.
- About ₹3 crore has been found or taken from his bank accounts so far.
- Modus Operandi & Network
- Ravi is very good with technology; he is said to have hacked OTT platforms (using DRM bypass) to steal content.
- He hosted the pirated content on servers in other countries, like the US, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
- He also sent traffic away from iBomma to online betting and gaming sites, supposedly working with them.
- According to the police, this shift to betting apps put people’s money at risk (economic exploitation) and “posed a direct threat…to the nation’s financial stability and digital safety.”
- He is said to have used Cloudflare hosting, which made it harder to take down.
- Citizenship & Other Background
- Reports say that Ravi gave up his Indian citizenship in 2022 and got Caribbean citizenship instead, paying about ₹80 lakh for it.
- He has lived or is living on Caribbean islands, and it appears that he recently returned to Hyderabad (reportedly to sell properties). o When they arrested him, the police also took a lot of hard drives, computers, and other storage devices that had pirated movie data on them.
Legal Charges & Why “Up to 7 Years in Jail”
- The “up to 7 years” jail time comes from the fact that Ravi is being charged with certain crimes under certain laws:
- Sections 66C and 66E of the IT Act talk about using someone else’s identity without their permission and breaking digital privacy laws.
- According to the police, the punishment for these is “up to 3 years in prison and a fine.”
- According to BNS (which looks like “BNS” in the report but is probably a typo or shorthand), taking or stealing property without permission (for money) can get you up to 7 years in jail.
- For breaking copyright laws, see Sections 63 and 65 of the Copyright Act.
- Penalty: up to three years in jail and fines.
- So, the BNS charge seems to be the one that gives him the most time (7 years). Other charges add to the risk or could lead to shorter sentences, depending on how the court finds him guilty.
Bigger Implications & Why It’s Serious •
- Huge Effect on Piracy: 21,000 movies is a huge number, which means there is a very big piracy business.
- The Financial Crime Dimension: This isn’t just about piracy; the police say he used piracy traffic to promote betting apps.
- International Network: The use of offshore servers in many countries suggests that there is a well-organized piracy operation that crosses borders.
- Digital Security Risk: The Cyber Crime Police say this network could be a “threat to the nation’s digital safety.”
- Possible Broader Investigation: Because of the large amounts of money and cross-border connections, the police plan to take the case to the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Current Status (as of Latest Reports)
- A judge has sent iBomma founder Ravi to jail in Chanchalguda.
- The police are still questioning them; they asked for more time in custody to ask more technical questions.
- The investigation is still going on, especially on the financial side (where the money came from and where it went).
- Investigations or arrests are likely to target other individuals involved, such as servers and collaborators.
My Analysis
- This piracy operation is not small; it is very big, well-organized, and run like a business.
- For some charges, “up to 7 years” in prison is realistic, but whether he gets the maximum sentence depends on the evidence and how the courts interpret each charge.
- If found guilty, this could be a big reason for people not to pirate digital content, especially if they also bet on it.
- But fully prosecuting such a case (especially with servers in different countries) will probably take time and may involve other agencies like ED/CBI.
iBomma Founder Conclusion:
The arrest of Immadi Ravi, the founder of iBomma, is a big step forward in India’s fight against digital piracy. The case shows how organized and powerful piracy networks have become, with 21,000 stolen movies taken and a complicated network of offshore servers being looked into.
As the legal process moves forward, the possibility of a 7-year jail sentence shows how seriously authorities are taking digital crimes that hurt the economy and national security. It is not clear if this crackdown will lead to long-term change or push pirates further underground, but for now, the entertainment industry see it as a strong and necessary warning.
