India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has documented extensive cybercrime activity on Telegram, linking the platform to over 6.8 lakh complaints and financial losses estimated at Rs 71,017.5 crore since 2023, according to a 35-page report cited during urgent court hearings this month. The report was referenced by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta in the Delhi High Court amid the government’s emergency block of Telegram ahead of the NEET re-examination (medianama.com).
The MHA report highlights Telegram’s unique platform architecture as enabling illegal activities such as sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), financial scams, fake job advertisements, online piracy, and harassment. The report included screenshots of groups distributing fake ads, CSAM, and pirated content like the film Dhurandhar. The government stated it has been proactively monitoring these groups, which have caused significant financial and social harm (medianama.com).
This report underscores the challenges regulators face in policing encrypted messaging platforms that facilitate large-scale cybercrime. The Rs 71,017.5 crore loss figure places Telegram among platforms with substantial economic impact from fraud, comparable to other major social media and messaging services scrutinized for misuse. The government’s emergency block reflects heightened enforcement measures in response to the scale of complaints and losses documented (medianama.com).
The Delhi High Court hearings on Telegram’s block continue, with the Solicitor General presenting further excerpts from the MHA report. The government’s proactive monitoring and the scale of complaints—over 688,000—form the basis for ongoing legal and regulatory actions against the platform (medianama.com).