YouTuber Saad ur Rehman, widely known as Ducky Bhai, will stay in the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for four more days in the ongoing gambling promotion case.
On Thursday, a Lahore judicial magistrate granted NCCIA’s request for an extension in Ducky Bhai’s physical remand. The agency argued that further interrogation was necessary to investigate his alleged role in promoting illegal gambling applications on social media.
Rehman was arrested at the Lahore airport on August 17. The case against him was registered by the state through NCCIA Lahore under sections 13 (Electronic Forgery), 14 (Electronic Fraud), 25 (Spamming), and 26 (Spoofing) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, along with sections 294 B (Offering prize in connection with trade) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The FIR alleged that some YouTubers and influencers promoted betting and gambling apps for monetary gain, misleading the public into investing their money and ultimately suffering losses. It specifically accused Ducky Bhai of promoting platforms such as Binomo, 1xBet, Bet 365, and B9 Game through his YouTube channel.
During Thursday’s hearing, Ducky Bhai was presented before the court. The government lawyer insisted that the gambling case investigation was still ongoing and asked for an extension in remand, which the court approved despite opposition from the YouTuber’s lawyer, Ch Usman Ali.
The next hearing in the NCCIA gambling promotion case has been scheduled for September 1.