Nepal plans to ban Telegram over rising criminal activities

 The Government of Nepal is planning to ban the messaging app Telegram, saying it's being used for illegal activities like fraud and money laundering.

The National Coordination Committee for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorist Activities—under the Prime Minister’s Office—has started the process. On July 17, it sent a letter to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, asking for legal action against Telegram.

Ministry spokesperson Gajendra Kumar Thakur confirmed the letter was received. However, he said the government isn’t shutting Telegram down right away. “We’re first looking into whether the platform is actually being used for money laundering,” he said. Authorities will consult with Nepal Police, the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, and other agencies before making a final decision, possibly by Sunday.

At a recent meeting of the committee, Inspector General of Police Deepak Thapa said online fraud and other crimes are on the rise and mostly happening through Telegram. He noted that many of these are connected to money laundering.

The committee, chaired by the Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, includes high-ranking officials from the Ministries of Finance, Home, Law, and Foreign Affairs, as well as representatives from the Attorney General’s Office, Nepal Rastra Bank, and the police.

Telegram came under global scrutiny in September 2024 when its founder, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France. He was accused of being involved in drug trafficking, fraud, illegal transactions, and the distribution of child sexual abuse content through Telegram. Though he was later released on bail, the arrest led to global discussions about how to regulate the app.

In Nepal, Telegram was linked to a major cybercrime in December 2024, when hackers stole Rs. 35 million from a Citizens Bank account by breaching the F1Soft payment system. During the meeting, this case was also discussed. It was found that the hackers had recruited unemployed youths through Telegram to carry out the attack. Authorities also suspect the app is being used for drug trafficking.

A senior official from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said that Telegram operates beyond the reach of normal regulations and has long been misused by criminals. He added that although the issue had been raised in high-level meetings before, no action was taken until now.

“If they’re finally taking it seriously, that’s a positive step,” the official said.

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