LAHORE — Saad ur Rehman, the prominent YouTuber known as Ducky Bhai, will remain in the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for an additional four days. A Lahore court approved the extension of his physical remand on Tuesday, following his arrest at Lahore airport over the weekend in connection with a case involving the promotion of online gambling applications.
The NCCIA had arrested Rehman on Sunday morning and sought a 28-day physical remand, with Investigating Officer Shoaib Riaz alleging that the YouTuber is a key member of an international gambling racket. The court, after hearing arguments, decided to grant a four-day extension, holding that Rehman would remain in custody until August 23.
The case against Rehman stems from an inquiry initiated on June 13 by the state, prompted by “reliable source(s)” who reported that several social media influencers were using their platforms to promote gambling and betting applications for financial gain. The First Information Report (FIR), registered on August 17, claims that the public was duped into investing their savings into these applications, leading to substantial financial losses.
Specifically, the FIR accuses Rehman of promoting various gambling and betting platforms, including Binomo, 1xBet, and Bet 365, through his YouTube channel. The document includes links to 27 of his videos that purportedly featured these promotions. While several of the videos have since been taken down, the evidence has been used to build the case against him.
The charges against Rehman are severe, encompassing multiple sections of both the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA) and the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). He has been charged under Sections 13 (Electronic Forgery), 14 (Electronic Fraud), 25 (Spamming), and 26 (Spoofing) of PECA, as well as Sections 294 B (Offering prize in connection with trade) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducting delivery of property) of the PPC. The legal proceedings highlight the growing scrutiny of social media influencers and their responsibility for the content they promote, especially when it involves potentially fraudulent financial activities.
