Famous Pakistani YouTuber Ducky Bhai will remain in NCCIA custody until September 3
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) will hold YouTuber Saadur Rehman, also known as Ducky Bhai, for two more days after a Lahore court magistrate granted the agency an extension in his physical detention on Monday. Sections 13 (Electronic Forgery), 14 (Electronic Fraud), 25 (Spamming), and 26 (Spoofing) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 as well as sections 294 B (Offering prize in connection with trade) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducting delivery of property) of the Pakistan Penal Code were used by the state through the NCCIA Lahore to register the case against him. He was detained at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore on suspicion of endorsing illicit gambling apps on his YouTube channel. The case relates to a June 13 inquiry that was filed on the “receipt of information from reliable source(s)” that certain social media influencers and YouTubers were using their accounts to promote gambling and betting apps to the public in order to profit themselves. According to the FIR, the public lost money after spending their hard-earned money on these applications. It accused Ducky Bhai of using his YouTube channel to promote various gambling and betting apps, including as 1xBet, Bet 365, B9 Game, and Binomo, for which he is suspected of serving as country manager. The YouTuber’s four-day remand, which was granted on August 28, was completed prior to Monday’s hearing in Magistrate Muhammad Naeem Wattoo’s court. Citing a forensic analysis report of the electronic gadgets taken from Ducky Bhai’s possession, the investigating officer asked for an extension. The officer claimed that in addition to proof of international transactions, the suspect’s device contained multiple talks about gambling app marketing. Advocate Chaudhry Usman Ali, Ducky Bhai’s attorney, requested that the court not extend his client’s remand, arguing that it is possible to acquire the specifics of banking transactions without detaining the accused. Additionally, he contended that the NCCIA had not yet produced any proof that the YouTuber was Binomo’s country manager or that the businesses he advocated resulted in user losses. The judge instructed the NCCIA to bring the accused to court on September 3 and gave the agency a two-day extension in Rehman’s custody, instructing the agency to wrap up the investigation.
