Several officials of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) have come under investigation following serious allegations of bribery and misuse of authority, according to media reports.
The case was registered on the complaint of Aroob Jatoi, wife of popular YouTuber Saqib Rehman, widely known as Ducky Bhai. The FIR accuses multiple NCCIA officials of receiving a total of Rs9 million in bribes from the YouTuber’s family.
According to the FIR, an investigating officer allegedly took Rs6 million in exchange for granting relief to Ducky Bhai. The amount was collected through a frontman and paid by the YouTuber’s friend, Usman. Subsequently, an additional Rs3 million was demanded to influence the suspect’s judicial remand.
The case documents state that the officer kept Rs2 million for himself, paid Rs0.5 million to an Additional Director, and deposited Rs5 million with a car showroom owner through his frontman. Nine officials have been named in the case, six of whom reportedly went missing for several days.
On Monday, reportedly the defense counsel for the six arrested officers filed a petition before a Lahore judicial magistrate, alleging that their clients had been detained illegally. The petition claims that the families were denied visitation rights and that copies of the FIR were not provided — violations of Article 10-A of the Constitution, Police Rules 1934, and the Police Order 2002.
The petition further argues that the officers were not produced before a court within 24 hours of arrest, in violation of Section 167 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) 1898 and constitutional provisions under Articles 10 and 10-A. The counsel requested the court to direct the Deputy Director and Director of the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore to immediately present the officers before the court for fair proceedings.
Sources revealed that Chaudhry Sarfraz, one of the senior officers linked to the case, had been removed from his position last month and directed to report to the headquarters in Islamabad. He later applied for a six-month leave. His name has surfaced in several disputes involving YouTubers and social media influencers, including Ducky Bhai and Rajab Butt, particularly in cases tied to online trading and gambling apps.
Officials also indicated that the disappearance of the NCCIA officers might be connected to ongoing investigations into alleged financial crimes by social media influencers.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court on Friday directed police to locate missing Deputy Director Muhammad Usman within a week. The directive came after a petition filed by Rozina Usman, who claimed her husband was abducted by four armed men on October 14. The court was later informed that Rozina herself had gone missing while pursuing the case, prompting the court to seek an updated report from police authorities.
