ISLAMABAD: The Deputy Director of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Muhammad Usman, and several other investigators working on the high-profile Ducky Bhai betting case, have mysteriously gone missing, the DSP Legal told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday.
During a hearing of a petition filed by Rozina Usman, the wife of the missing NCCIA officer, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan was informed that Muhammad Usman was allegedly abducted by four armed men on October 14.
Advocate Raja Rizwan Abbasi, representing Rozina, also informed the court that she had disappeared after filing the petition for her husband’s recovery.
The court expressed concern over the disappearances and instructed the police to locate Deputy Director Muhammad Usman within a week. The court also directed investigators to examine Usman’s WhatsApp data records for potential leads in the case.
DSP Legal Sajid Cheema, appearing before the court, stated that efforts were underway to locate the missing officer and that the SSP Investigation was personally overseeing the case.
He further revealed that Usman had been leading the investigation into the Ducky Bhai betting case, and that other investigators involved in the case had also gone missing. The DSP added that the case had originally been under investigation in Lahore.
According to the DSP, Rozina Usman’s last known location was traced between Lahore and Islamabad until October 18, with her final known address being Empress Road in Lahore. After that, her phone was switched off. When police visited her residence, they found it locked, and her children were also missing.
Advocate Rizwan Abbasi informed the court that Rozina had received a threatening phone call before her disappearance, warning her to withdraw the petition.
DSP Sajid Cheema added that the last known location of Deputy Director Usman was in F-6, Islamabad, where CCTV footage had been reviewed. He noted that accessing WhatsApp data could provide crucial information.
Lawyer Abbasi argued that “a man has been abducted from the federal capital, and ten days have passed without any recovery.”
The DSP Legal requested one week to obtain the WhatsApp data. The IHC granted the police one week to recover the missing officer and adjourned the hearing until October 31.
