According to reports, Russian-French billionaire Pavel Durov, the creator and CEO of the messaging service Telegram, was detained on Saturday night, August 24, at the Bourget airport south of Paris.

According to TF1 TV, the 39-year-old was detained at about 8 p.m. local time (6 p.m. GMT) while flying on his private plane.

READ ALSO-Singer Justin Bieber, 28, And Wife Hailey, Announce The Birth Of Their First Child

As part of an initial police investigation, Durov was the subject of an arrest warrant in France, according to the report published on their website. On Sunday, he is anticipated to appear in court.

According to TF1, police believed that the absence of moderators on Telegram allowed illegal activities to continue unchecked, so they concentrated their investigation on this issue.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION– → Telegram | X/Twitter | Facebook | WhatsApp|WhatsApp Channel|Mobile App|Instagram

With over one billion users, the encrypted instant messaging app Telegram holds significant sway in Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union’s member states. It comes second among the leading social media networks, after WeChat, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok.

The entrepreneur, born in Russia, resides in Dubai, the home of Telegram, and is a dual citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates.

Forbes estimates Durov’s wealth at $15.5 billion (£12 billion). He fled Russia in 2014 when he was ordered to close opposition groups on the social media network VK, which he had owned.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION– → Telegram | X/Twitter | Facebook | WhatsApp|WhatsApp Channel|Mobile App|Instagram

Kindly Share this post.