Hyderabad Police Bust India’s Biggest Movie Piracy Racket, Film Stars Back Crackdown

Hyderabad cybercrime police dismantled India’s largest movie piracy racket and exposed a massive illegal network that leaked hundreds of films across theatres and OTT platforms. The crackdown shook the Telugu film industry, which reported losses of nearly Rs 3,700 crore in 2024, while the Indian film industry lost about Rs 22,400 crore in 2023 to piracy.

How the Racket Worked

Police explained that the racket worked in two ways. Members secretly used mobile phones or hidden cameras to record films during screenings. Hackers also breached digital distribution servers and stole high-definition copies of films before release. Pirates then uploaded these versions to platforms like 1TamilBlasters, 5MoviezRulz, and 1TamilMV, often making them available online within hours of a movie’s premiere.

Pirates spread the content through Telegram groups, torrent sites, and illegal streaming platforms. They earned money from advertisements by betting sponsors such as 1xBet, 4raBet, Parimatch, and Rajbet. They accepted payments only in cryptocurrency and converted them into rupees through middlemen.

Films and Earnings

Blockbusters like #Single, HIT: The Third Case, and Kubera appeared on piracy sites within hours of their release. Investigators found that the accused earned crores through this illegal trade. Ashwani Kumar (21) hacked servers and sold unreleased films for USD 800 each, leaking at least 120 movies. Cyril Infant Raj (32), the mastermind, managed overseas servers and uploaded nearly 500 films since 2020, earning about Rs 2 crore in cryptocurrency.

Jana Kiran Kumar (29) recorded almost 100 films in Hyderabad theatres using an iPhone hidden in his shirt pocket. Sudhakaran (31) pirated 35 South Indian films in Coimbatore. Arsalan Ahmed (23) uploaded pirated files to sharing sites and earned about USD 135 per film.

Major Police Action

Investigators tracked the network for two months after receiving a complaint from the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce. They raided multiple states and seized laptops, mobiles, hard drives, and crypto wallet records. Police booked cases under the IT Act, Copyright Act, Cinematograph Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Telugu Film Industry Reacts

After the arrests, Hyderabad police held a meeting with actors, producers, and exhibitors to discuss stronger anti-piracy measures. Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, Nagarjuna, Nani, and Dil Raju attended the session. The industry supported the police action and promised full cooperation to fight piracy.

Police Commissioner CV Anand described the racket as part of India’s multi-billion-rupee piracy economy. He urged the industry to adopt tighter security and stronger digital protection to safeguard films.

Piracy remains the biggest threat to cinema revenue, but Hyderabad’s latest crackdown gave the industry hope that strict enforcement can finally make a difference.

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