The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore has registered a case against nine officials of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on allegations of misuse of authority, bribery, and extortion. The first information report (FIR) was lodged following a complaint by Aroob Jatoi, wife of YouTuber Saadur Rehman, widely known as Ducky Bhai, who was detained earlier in a case involving the promotion of gambling applications on social media.
According to the FIR, the nominated officials include Additional Director Sarfraz, Lahore NCCIA Deputy Director (acting in-charge) Zawar Ahmad, Sub-Inspectors Ali Raza and Yasir Ramzan, Assistant Directors Shoaib Riaz and Mujtaba Zafar, Islamabad NCCIA Deputy Directors Muhammad Usman and Ayaz Khan, and Salman Aziz. Several of the accused officers were reportedly untraceable for days before the FIA confirmed their detention on charges of corruption and misconduct. The FIR cites Sections 109 and 161 of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with Section 5(2)(47) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which pertains to public servants engaged in criminal misconduct.
The case details allege that during the investigation into Ducky Bhai’s case, Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz misused his authority to extort Rs9 million from Rehman’s family through intermediaries. Reports claim that Rs6 million was taken under the pretense of providing relief to Jatoi, and an additional Rs3 million was solicited for judicial leniency. The extorted amount was reportedly divided among several officials, with Riaz retaining Rs2 million and distributing the remainder among his associates. The inquiry also revealed a transfer of $326,420 from Rehman’s account to Riaz’s via Binance. According to investigators, the officers were allegedly part of an organized network within NCCIA that collected monthly bribes from call centers, digital companies, and individuals involved in online fraud, channeling funds to senior officials through intermediaries in both Lahore and Islamabad.
An FIA officer confirmed that Assistant Director Syed Zainul Abideen of the Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore has been appointed to lead the investigation. Meanwhile, the lawyer representing the six detained officials, Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq, submitted an application to a Lahore judicial magistrate seeking their formal production in court. The petition highlighted that since the arrests, neither the families nor the legal counsels have been granted access to the suspects. It described the denial of access and the withholding of the FIR copy as violations of constitutional and procedural safeguards under Articles 10 and 10A of the Constitution of Pakistan, along with provisions of the Police Rules of 1934 and Police Order of 2002. The counsel requested that the FIA be ordered to produce the detained officials before the court to ensure transparency and adherence to due process.
Among those detained, Additional Director Sarfraz had previously been removed from his position over various controversies and transferred to NCCIA headquarters in Islamabad. His transfer followed complaints related to multiple investigations into social media influencers, including Ducky Bhai and Rajab Butt, linked to unregulated online trading and gambling activities. The case has drawn attention to internal challenges and alleged misconduct within the NCCIA, as well as ongoing scrutiny of law enforcement practices surrounding digital crime investigations in Pakistan.
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