Can you believe that a junior college dropout is running a pan-India gang that earns hundreds of crores by using high-tech software to hack even big-budget movies? Yes, this real-life story, which reads exactly like an underground don's biography, is currently shaking up not just the Tollywood and Bollywood industries, but the entire South Indian film industry.
This gang is being run by a Bihari ‘Young Turk’ named Ashwani Kumar. Behind him, there are also some Tamilians in the piracy gang. Read the details shared by Telangana police officials on how Ashwani Kumar's intriguing piracy network works.
When the films of the Tollywood top heroes, made with hundreds of crores, reach viewers' smartphones via the internet even before their release, producers, buyers, and distributors are facing severe losses. This piracy issue has been going on in Tollywood for a long time.
Hacked Hundreds of Servers
Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand detailed how Aswani Kumar "hacked the main servers of digital media companies, copied the HD movies, and sent them to other Telegram users," specifically sharing them with gaming and betting organizers via encrypted channels. These leaks fuelled piracy sites like 1TamilBlasters, 5MoviezRulz, HD movies, Flimyzap, and World4free, impacting major releases such as HIT: The Third Case, #Single, and Kubera.
Hyderabad CP emphasized the broader threat, noting that Kumar's actions contributed to the Indian entertainment industry's staggering Rs 22,400 crore losses from piracy in 2023 alone, and revealed that the team coordinated with Bihar police to raid his residence, seizing evidence of multiple hacks. Kumar was arrested on August 11, 2025, as part of the Telangana Police's probe that nabbed five key figures between June and August, with Anand warning that further investigations into Kumar's government hacks are ongoing in collaboration with other states.
Between June and August, law enforcement authorities apprehended five principal suspects in connection with an extensive film piracy operation. Ashwani Kumar from Bihar emerged as the alleged leader, reportedly orchestrating the hacking of digital media company servers to obtain high-definition copies of unreleased films. Another accused, Cyril Infant Raj from Tamil Nadu, is believed to have managed multiple piracy websites and accumulated nearly Rs 2 crore in crypto-currency since 2020. Jana Kiran Kumar from Hyderabad stands accused of surreptitiously recording over 100 films in theaters using a concealed mobile device, while Sudhakaran from Erode admitted to camcording 35 South Indian films. Arsalan Ahmed is said to have facilitated the distribution of pirated content via file-sharing platforms and Telegram.
Background of the Kingpin!
Ashwani Kumar, a 21-year-old resident of Patna (specifically Gulzarbagh and Sampathchak), is described as the central figure and mastermind of an interstate movie piracy syndicate primarily targeting Telugu cinema, among others. Despite limited formal education (having completed up to the intermediate level), Kumar reportedly demonstrated significant self-taught proficiency in software and cyber-security, enabling him to infiltrate secure servers belonging to digital media companies. These breaches allowed him to extract pristine HD copies of films days before official release, which he allegedly sold for approximately USD 800 (about Rs 67,000) per copy, with payments processed through Bitcoin to avoid detection.
Kumar’s alleged activities were not confined to film piracy. During interrogation, he reportedly admitted to compromising government websites, including the Bihar State Election Commission, and acquiring sensitive data such as employee records and salary information from multiple states, with indications that this information may have been sold on the dark web. Investigators discovered that Kumar’s residence in Patna was equipped with 22 CCTV cameras, underscoring the sophistication of his operations despite his limited academic background.
At a press conference held in Hyderabad, Hyderabad CP CV Anand characterized Ashwani Kumar as “A-1, the prime accused and kingpin behind the leakage of HD movies before they are even released into the theatres,” providing further insight into the scope and impact of the case.