Piracy surge online after ‘iBomma’ Ravi’s arrest

The arrest of iBomma operator Immadi Ravi has triggered a fresh wave of online piracy, with individuals registering look-alike domains and circulating pirated films through social media and anonymous websites. Cybercrime officials have intensified surveillance, warning that piracy is a punishable offence.

Hyderabad: A surge of new piracy activity seems to be emerging online in the aftermath of ‘iBomma’ Ravi’s arrest, with cybercrime officials reportedly observing individuals registering look-alike domains and exploring ways to cash in on pirated content.

This trend has now prompted law-enforcement authorities to intensify surveillance and issue stern warnings against supporting illegal movie platforms.

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According to official information, many individuals are actively searching online for opportunities to profit from pirated content, a trend that became evident through the recent cyber patrols efforts of the cybercrime teams.

With the ‘iBomma’ and ‘Bappam’ pirated movies’ websites now removed from online platforms, police authorities say several people have begun purchasing new domains with slightly altered spellings of the same names in an attempt to attract traffic.

Cybercrime teams have intensified surveillance on social media and suspicious domains, reiterating that piracy is a punishable offence and urging the public not to support or promote such illegal platforms.

Following the arrest of iBomma piracy operator Immadi (Emmadi) Ravi, social media platforms have been witnessing a surge of sympathy comments from users who had depended on his websites to watch pirated movies. This unexpected wave of support has also alarmed law enforcement authorities, who fear it may encourage others to adopt similar illegal methods for easy money.

Investigators say it was recently observed that several individuals allegedly inspired by Ravi’s operations are attempting to replicate his model by recording films and web series from theatres or OTT platforms and circulating them through social media groups and anonymous websites.

The police have warned that strict action will be taken against anyone involved.

During questioning in police custody, Ravi had clarified that he did not hack OTT or cinema servers, but procured pirated films and uploaded them across various domains after integrating custom software, a detail that surfaced during the investigation.

On the other hand, Cybercrime officials continue to monitor online activity closely and have urged citizens not to encourage piracy in any form.