The Indian government has initiated an investigation into popular messaging app Telegram over concerns of criminal activities including extortion and gambling.

The probe is being led by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) and involves the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

What Happened: The investigation was triggered by the arrest of Telegram’s founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, in Paris on August 24 over the app’s moderation policies, Moneycontrol reported.

An anonymous official disclosed that the probe is primarily focused on criminal activities such as extortion and gambling on the platform. The official did not dismiss the potential of Telegram, which counts over 5 million registered users in India, being blocked depending on the outcome of the investigation.

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Telegram has faced scrutiny in India in the past, with the platform being associated with several criminal activities and scams. The app was implicated in the UGC-NEET controversy, where the question paper for the medical entrance exam was allegedly leaked and widely circulated on Telegram.

The official further clarified that the violations under investigation are not related to the Information Technology (IT) Rules, and that the platform is compliant with these rules. However, the absence of a local Telegram office in India complicates the investigation process.

Telegram has not yet issued a statement regarding the ongoing investigation.

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