LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Anti-Corruption Circle in Lahore has filed a criminal case against nine officers of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for allegedly abusing their official powers and taking bribes from the family of YouTuber Saadur Rehman, better known online as Ducky Bhai.
The complaint, submitted by Rehman’s wife, Aroob Jatoi, accuses the officers of demanding millions of rupees in exchange for leniency in the case against her husband, who is under investigation for promoting gambling applications on social media.
The case was registered under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act that deal with bribery and misconduct by public officials.
Those named in the First Information Report (FIR) include Additional Director Sarfraz, Acting Lahore Deputy Director Zawar Ahmad, Assistant Directors Shoaib Riaz and Mujtaba Zafar, Sub-Inspectors Ali Raza and Yasir Ramzan, as well as Islamabad-based officers Muhammad Usman, Ayaz Khan and Salman Aziz.
According to the FIR, Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz, who was handling Rehman’s inquiry, allegedly solicited Rs9 million from the family through intermediaries, claiming the money would help “secure relief” for the detained YouTuber. Investigators allege Rs6 million was delivered in cash in Sheikhupura and another Rs3 million through cheques.
The document also claims Riaz transferred more than $326,000 from Rehman’s cryptocurrency wallet into his own via the Binance platform.
The complaint further alleges the accused officers shared the proceeds among themselves and senior officials in Islamabad. Part of the amount, investigators said, was passed monthly to “higher authorities” through internal channels, indicating the existence of an organised network within the cybercrime agency.
Six of the accused including Sarfraz, Zawar Ahmad and Riaz were produced in handcuffs before a Lahore magistrate on Tuesday. The FIA requested their physical remand, citing the need to question them further about the alleged bribery ring.
The court, however, sought justification for the arrests. FIA prosecutors told the magistrate that the inquiry was still in progress. The defence argued that the agency had acted in violation of internal service rules, which require prior approval from the NCCIA director general before detaining officers of Grade 18.
Defence counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq also claimed that Jatoi, the complainant, had admitted to paying bribes, yet no case had been registered against her. He alleged that the FIR against the NCCIA officers was filed “within minutes” without due scrutiny.
Earlier in the day, another petition filed by the officers’ legal team accused the FIA of denying access to the detained officials and withholding a copy of the FIR.
The petition described their detention as “unlawful confinement” and a violation of constitutional guarantees under Articles 9, 10 and 10A, which ensure personal liberty and the right to a fair trial. It urged the court to direct the FIA to produce the accused immediately and to prevent further abuse of authority.
Among those named, Additional Director Sarfraz had been transferred to the NCCIA headquarters in Islamabad last month after several internal disputes. He had previously led operations against social media influencers, including Ducky Bhai and Rajab Butt, over unregulated online trading and gambling promotions.
Sarfraz also faced criticism for registering cases against lawyers who allegedly interfered in cybercrime cases, and for handling a complaint filed by journalists against senior police officers in Lahore. NCCIA headquarters declined to comment on his recent arrest, describing the matter only as “under departmental review.”
Officials familiar with the investigation said the current case might be connected to earlier inquiries into online financial crimes involving prominent influencers.
Separately, the Islamabad High Court last week directed police to intensify efforts to trace missing NCCIA Deputy Director Muhammad Usman, one of the accused, who was allegedly abducted earlier this month. His wife, who petitioned for his recovery, has also disappeared, prompting the court to seek an updated report on both cases.
