YouTuber Saad ur Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai, will remain in the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) till September 3 after a Lahore court extended his physical remand in the gambling apps case.
The court of Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Naeem Wattoo extended the custody of Ducky Bhai on Monday after the completion of his four-day remand granted earlier on August 28. He was arrested[1] on August 17 at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport while attempting to leave the country.
The YouTuber faces allegations of promoting illegal gambling platforms through his channel. The case was lodged by the state via 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.
Inquiry Links Ducky Bhai to Promotion of Gambling Apps
According to the FIR, the inquiry was initiated on June 13 after authorities received information that YouTubers and influencers were endorsing betting applications[2] for monetary gains. The report claimed that the public invested money in these apps and suffered losses. It specifically accused Rehman of promoting gambling applications such as 1xBet, Bet 365, B9 Game and Binomo, with claims that he acted as country manager for Binomo.
During the hearing, the investigating officer sought more time[3], stating that forensic analysis of seized devices revealed chats linked to gambling apps and records of foreign transactions. However, Rehman’s lawyer, Advocate Chaudhry Usman Ali, opposed the extension, arguing that banking details could be obtained without keeping his client in custody. He also said that the agency had not presented evidence proving the YouTuber’s role as Binomo’s country manager or that users lost money due to the apps he promoted.
The court, while granting the NCCIA a two-day extension, directed the agency to complete the investigation and produce the accused again on September 3.
References
- ^ arrested (www.techjuice.pk)
- ^ betting applications (www.techjuice.pk)
- ^ sought more time (www.techjuice.pk)