Hyderabad: The ongoing crackdown on Telugu film piracy took a sensational turn after the notorious website I Bomma issued a direct threat to the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police. The warning came days after the arrest of five individuals linked to a piracy racket targeting the Telugu film industry.
Following a complaint by the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC), Hyderabad Police began investigating over 65 websites, including I Bomma, accused of leaking films illegally. Producers also alleged that site operators had publicly issued threats against those attempting to protect their copyrights.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand confirmed that the industry lost nearly ₹3,700 crore in 2024 alone due to piracy. He said the accused used two main methods: camcording inside theatres and hacking digital distribution servers to steal HD prints.
Investigations also revealed that these piracy networks earned crores through advertisements from online gaming and betting apps, with all transactions routed via cryptocurrency.
I Bomma threatens retaliation
Speaking to the media, CV Anand warned I Bomma and similar piracy networks of strict legal action. He said authorities could trace operators even if they used advanced tech or attempted to mask their domains via services like Cloudflare. He added that with support from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), police would locate and dismantle their backend infrastructure.
In a defiant response, I Bomma released an open letter warning Hyderabad Police to stop targeting the platform. “If you focus on us, we will be forced to focus on you,” the letter said.
The police have not yet confirmed their response to the letter, but officials indicated that further action is underway.
