Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police are planning to produce Immadi Ravi, the prime accused and alleged mastermind behind the iBomma piracy network, before a local court in connection with three additional cyber fraud cases. These cases are linked to a wider web of online scams targeting users in Hyderabad and other parts of the country.
The new cases have emerged through Prisoner Transfer (PT) warrants issued as part of ongoing investigations into Ravi’s digital operations. According to investigators, Ravi used piracy platforms to redirect users to illegal online betting applications such as 1win and 1xbet, enabling large-scale financial fraud and data exploitation.
Ravi, aged 39, is a native of Visakhapatnam and holds citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis. He reportedly launched the iBomma website in 2019, operating it through servers based in the United States, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Cyber Crime Police arrested him on 15 November from an apartment in Kukatpally.
During the arrest, officials seized hard drives containing nearly 21,000 pirated movies in multiple languages, personal data of approximately 50 lakh users, and Rs3 crore in cash. Police estimate that Ravi earned close to Rs20 crore through the piracy and associated scam operations.
Investigations revealed that Ravi managed around 110 domains and 65 mirror websites, frequently bypassing government blocks using Telegram-sourced content and Cloudflare hosting services. Authorities also found that nearly five million monthly visitors to iBomma were redirected to betting platforms through pop-ups and APK downloads.
These redirections allegedly led users into OTP frauds, fake digital arrests, and other cyber scams. The PT warrants focus on three such fraud cases, for which police have already secured custody extensions, including a three-day remand granted on 27 November. During questioning, Ravi reportedly admitted to promoting illegal betting applications and acknowledged the risks posed to users’ financial and personal data. Investigators are also probing the involvement of his associate, Nikhil, in the operation.
