TFCC turns to police over film piracy

The complaint was filed by anti-video piracy cell project head Manindra Babu Yarra on behalf of the TFCC.
Image used for representational purposes.
Image used for representational purposes. File photo| EPS
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HYDERABAD: The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) lodged a complaint with the Hyderabad Cybercrime police against illegal movie piracy platforms operating under the names iBomma and Bappam for allegedly streaming pirated content and promoting illegal betting applications.

The complaint was filed by anti-video piracy cell project head Manindra Babu Yarra on behalf of the TFCC.

According to the complaint, unidentified persons have been operating piracy platforms under the brand names “iBomma” and “Bappam,” allegedly distributing and streaming copyrighted OTT and theatrical films without authorisation.

The platforms reportedly offer content in multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Bengali.

The complainant alleged that the operators were using Google’s Blogger platform as a front-end interface with customised streaming features to evade takedowns and reduce server costs.

The complaint further stated that users were allegedly forced to watch promotional advertisements for illegal betting platforms such as “1xBet” and "4rabet" before or during video playback.

It also alleged that the websites used anti-debugging and anti-scraping scripts to obstruct technical analysis by law enforcement agencies.

Police said the operators were monetising traffic through third-party advertising networks, causing financial losses to filmmakers and producers.

Based on the complaint, Hyderabad Cybercrime police registered a case under relevant sections of the IT Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Telangana State Gaming Act and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025.

Further investigation is underway.

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