The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce lodged a fresh complaint on Sunday, alleging that piracy websites operating under the names 'iBomma' and 'Bappam TV' were illegally streaming newly released Telugu films and OTT content within hours of release, triggering widespread panic across the film industry.
Acting on the complaint, the Hyderabad cybercrime police registered a criminal case against the unidentified operators of the websites 'what-is-reviews.blogspot.com' and 'ibommedia.com'. The accused are not only charged with movie piracy but also with promoting illegal online betting platforms through embedded advertisements.
Details of the Complaint
According to the complaint filed by Manindra Babu Yarra, project head of the anti-video piracy cell of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, the websites allegedly offered free access to copyrighted films in multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, and Bengali. The complaint alleged that the accused used the popular piracy brands 'iBomma' and 'Bappam' to attract viewers and circulate newly released theatrical and OTT films without permission from copyright holders.
Sophisticated Piracy Ecosystem
The Film Chamber further alleged that the operators had built a sophisticated piracy ecosystem by using Google's Blogspot platform as a front-end portal while embedding custom streaming players for seamless playback of pirated movies. Investigators also reportedly identified anti-tracking and anti-debugging mechanisms within the websites, allegedly designed to obstruct technical analysis and evade law enforcement scrutiny.
Promotion of Banned Betting Apps
Furthermore, the complaint accused the operators of aggressively promoting banned betting applications such as 1xBet and 4rabet. Users were allegedly forced to watch gambling advertisements before streaming movies, while additional betting promotions appeared whenever videos were paused.
Legal Action
Cybercrime police registered the case under multiple provisions of the Information Technology Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Telangana Gaming Act, and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025.
This case highlights the growing challenge of digital piracy and its links to illegal gambling, prompting authorities to step up enforcement against such operations.
