Pavel Durov was arrested on Saturday evening by the French authorities.
According to a report by French outlet TF1 Info, he was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.
As per the warrant, Pavel Durov failed to moderate content on its platform correctly.
The founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov has been reportedly arrested at the Le Bourget airport near Paris. He was arrested on Saturday evening by the French authorities while he was leaving for Azerbaijan via a private jet.
When he was arrested, he was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman, according to a report by French outlet TF1 Info. The arrest was executed by gendarmes from the Air Transport Gendarmerie (GTA). It came after a search warrant was issued by French officials as part of their preliminary investigation.
Also read: Why Jio, Airtel, and Vi want TRAI to regulate WhatsApp, Telegram, and other social media apps
Reason behind Pavel Durov’s arrest
As per the warrant, when Telegram was under Durov’s leadership, he failed to moderate content on the platform correctly. This promoted criminal activities, including drug trafficking, fraud, and the distribution of pedophilic material on the platform. Plus, features like disposable phone numbers and cryptocurrency furthered these illicit activities, as per the authorities.
This comes as the European authority has been closely monitoring Telegram. Durov is considered a persona non grata in France. Reports suggest that he was avoiding travel to countries where Telegram is being closely monitored. Before he was arrested, Durov was traveling between the United Arab Emirates, former Soviet Union countries, and South America.
Now, France’s National Anti-Fraud Office is coordinating with the Customs Directorate for the follow-ups. Durov is now in police custody. He is expected to appear before an investigative judge on Sunday. During the hearing, he could face charges including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, complicity in fraud, money laundering, and receiving stolen goods.
Durov is one of the most influential figures in the tech world, particularly for his role in establishing Telegram. Let’s now see how things turn out for him.
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Mustafa Khan
Mustafa is new on the block and is a tech geek who is currently working with Digit as a News Writer. He tests the new gadgets that come on board and writes for the news desk. He has found his way with words and you can count on him when in need of tech advice. No judgement. He is based out of Delhi, he’s your person for good photos, good food recommendations, and to know about anything GenZ. View Full Profile
