(VOVWORLD) - Telegram boss Pavel Durov could be held in police custody until Wednesday after French prosecutors said they had granted extra time for questioning.
 Founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov delivers a keynote speech during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 23, 2016. (REUTERS) |
Durov, a Russian-born billionaire, was arrested in France over the weekend as part of an investigation into crimes related to images of child sex abuse, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform, French prosecutors said on Monday.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the public prosecutor said Durov's detention had been extended by up to 48 hours late on Monday.
With nearly 1 billion users, Telegram is particularly prominent in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union.