After iBomma operator Imandi Ravi was caught by the police, his entire background came out. Ravi was born and brought up in Visakhapatnam and studied only up to his degree.
With the help of his brother-in-law, he went abroad and from there, his mindset completely changed.
Many details about Ravi were revealed by his father, Appa Rao, who still lives in Visakhapatnam.
He said he always believed his son was working a normal job abroad and had no idea he was running piracy websites.
A retired BSNL employee living on his pension, Appa Rao said that Ravi returned home two years ago but never gave him even a single rupee.
Living in a small house and leading a simple life, the father said he was shocked to learn everything only after the police arrested his son.
He shared, “My son said he liked a girl, so we arranged the marriage. Her family fixed the date suddenly and the wedding happened. At that time, I had no money in hand. I only now came to know that he had ₹3 crore in his account. I never asked him, and he never told me. I live my own life, and he lived his own. I don’t need his money. My pension is enough.”
Calling his son’s behavior unacceptable, the father said, “His ego went to his head. What he did was wrong, and challenging the government and police was an even bigger mistake.”
Police not only arrested Ravi but also made him personally block the iBomma and Bapam piracy websites. He is now in judicial remand.
Meanwhile, a surprising set of people on social media have started supporting Ravi.
They argue that movie ticket prices and theatre snack rates are becoming too high, and such piracy operators are a “check” on the system.
Their comments have created further debate online.
