By Our Correspondent
LAHORE, October 28: In a stunning twist to YouTuber Ducky Bhai’s cybercrime saga, six senior officials of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) have been remanded into FIA custody over allegations of accepting Rs9 million in bribes from the influencer’s wife to manipulate the investigation.
According to the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle, the officials allegedly misused their authority, mishandled private data, and pocketed bribes during the probe against Saadur Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai.
Those arrested include Additional Director Chaudhry Sarfraz, Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz, and officers Ali Raza, Mujtaba Zafar, Yasir Ramzan, and Zafar Shah.
The FIA told the court that Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz, who was leading the inquiry, received the bribe in cash and cheques before distributing it among colleagues. Investigators also alleged that over $326,000 were transferred from Ducky Bhai’s Binance account to an officer’s personal account.
The Lahore court, presided over by Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo, approved the FIA’s request for a three-day physical remand to recover the alleged bribe and dig deeper into the corruption trail.
The case has been registered under Sections 109 and 161 of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 5(2)47 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, for criminal misconduct by public officials.
However, defence counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq challenged the FIA’s plea, calling the case “false and fabricated”. He argued that the arrests were made without proper authorization and that the FIR was filed “within 20 minutes” of the complaint without key details such as the briber’s address.
The bribery scandal has sent shockwaves through Pakistan’s cybercrime network, raising questions about corruption within law enforcement and the integrity of ongoing digital investigations.
Earlier, Ducky Bhai was arrested in August at Lahore Airport for allegedly promoting online gambling platforms such as Binomo and 1xBet, facing charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and Pakistan Penal Code sections 294-B and 420.
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