Overview

• Ashwani Kumar is accused of hacking digital media servers to steal HD films, with co-accused Cyril Infant Raj allegedly running piracy sites and crypto payments, Jana Kiran Kumar and Sudhakaran accused of camcording, and Arsalan Ahmed accused of uploading and distribution.
• Investigators said the racket spread across multiple States and targeted films beyond Telugu to Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Bollywood and Hollywood releases.
• Police cited two-pronged operations—cam-recordings in theatres and cyberattacks on digital delivery systems—with pirated files pushed via torrents, Telegram and illegal streaming, monetised through online gaming and betting ads and paid for in cryptocurrency using foreign VPS.
• Five others received notices as cases were registered under the IT, Copyright and Cinematograph Acts, with I4C aiding crypto-trail analysis and multiple devices seized during raids.
• After announcing the bust, Hyderabad Police met film industry leaders including Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, Nagarjuna, Nani and Dil Raju to urge watermarking, tighter server access controls and stronger in-theatre surveillance, warning that visitor data on piracy sites is exploited for other cybercrimes and that penalties can include up to three years in jail and fines up to ₹2 lakh.