Telegram has come under the scanner of the Indian government for gambling and extortion.- The messaging app is being investigated over its alleged misuse in criminal activities.
- Telegram founder
Pavel Durov was recently arrested in Paris by the French authorities.
According to a report by Moneycontrol, Telegram is being investigated by the government over its alleged misuse in criminal activities such as gambling and extortion. The ongoing investigation could also end up with Telegram being banned in India as per a government official.
"The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) and MeitY have been looking into P2P communications on Telegram," said a government official to Moneycontrol.
According to the report, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is investigating criminal activities such as extortion and gambling on the platform.
Why has Telegram come under the scanner now?
While Telegram has been blamed for such activities in the past, the investigation might have gained steam as the UGC-NET exam paper was reportedly being sold on Telegram for ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 after being leaked.Durov, 39, was detained by the French authorities at the Bourget Airport. Durov was wanted under a French arrest warrant due to the lack of moderation on Telegram, which allegedly led to the platform being used for money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing pedophilic content.
The arrest was criticised by several people, including Tesla cofounder Elon Musk.
SEE ALSO:
Premier Energies IPO – Price band to risk factors, all you need to know
Upcoming IPOs to look out for this week – Premier Energies, ECO Mobility and more
Govt warns about fake SMS asking users to update their PAN – what it is and how to stay safe