Tollywood Piracy Mastermind Emmadi Ravi Arrested: Rs 3 Crore in Bank Accounts Seized in Major Anti-Piracy Operation

Emmadi Ravi has been apprehended after an extensive international manhunt.

In a significant anti-piracy operation, Hyderabad Cybercrime police have successfully arrested Emmadi Ravi, the alleged mastermind behind the notorious iBomma and Bappam film piracy networks.

The arrest took place over the weekend in Hyderabad following a comprehensive international search operation, representing a major breakthrough for the Telugu film industry, which has reportedly suffered financial losses in thousands of crores due to piracy.

Ravi was captured in the Kukatpally neighborhood of Hyderabad after returning to India from Europe, allegedly from either France or the Netherlands, during ongoing divorce proceedings. Law enforcement officials confirmed that Ravi, who had previously claimed immunity from legal consequences online, was located by tracking his movements and monitoring phone signals.

During the arrest, authorities confiscated various hardware components, storage devices, and hard disks from his residence. Police have also initiated procedures to freeze international bank accounts reportedly containing over Rs 3 crore connected to the piracy operations. Ravi faces charges under the Information Technology Act and the Cinematography Act and has been remanded to judicial custody. Authorities are expected to request his custody for additional interrogation.

The case gained momentum earlier this year when the Anti-Video Piracy Cell of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) filed several complaints after recent high-profile releases, including Kuberaa, Single, and HIT: The Third Case, were illegally uploaded to iBomma and associated mirror sites around their official release dates. According to TFCC estimates, online piracy has caused approximately Rs 3,700 crore in losses to the Telugu film industry in 2024 alone.

Ravi's network allegedly operated more than 70 mirror sites, including bappam.dev, utilizing sophisticated international infrastructure to avoid detection. These piracy websites primarily targeted Telugu films but also illegally distributed content in Hindi, English, and other regional languages.

Investigators have uncovered an intricate operational strategy. Ravi reportedly managed the operation and uploaded pirated content using servers located in Caribbean islands, exploiting legal loopholes across jurisdictions to maintain anonymity.

While Ravi claims to have sourced low-quality prints from other websites and enhanced them using software, police previously arrested five key individuals in September 2025. This group included hacker Ashwani Kumar, who allegedly breached digital media companies' servers to steal HD copies, and Jana Kiran Kumar, who recorded films in theaters using concealed mobile devices.

These sites offered free access to pirated movies while generating substantial revenue through advertising arrangements with online gaming and betting platforms. Sources indicate Ravi earned at least Rs 12 crore from these advertisements, attracting millions of viewers. According to the complaint, the bappam.dev domain alone recorded over 3.7 million monthly visitors from India.

The use of cryptocurrency transactions, encrypted Telegram groups for coordination, and hosting services like Cloudflare helped the piracy network protect itself from takedown attempts and law enforcement agencies for years.

The arrest has been celebrated by producers and film industry organizations as a crucial development in the fight against piracy. However, experts point out that film piracy remains persistent, with new mirror sites and platforms typically emerging soon after major shutdowns or arrests, as evidenced by the creation of new domains following Ravi's capture.

Hyderabad police are now concentrating on using the seized evidence and information obtained during Ravi's custody to uncover the complete global network of accomplices, particularly those involved in sourcing and distributing the pirated content.