Saadur Rehman, the YouTuber popularly known as Ducky Bhai, has filed an appeal against a Lahore judicial magistrate granting an extension in his physical remand to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), the body currently investigating him in a promotion of illegal online gambling applications case.
The appeal, filed on Saturday through his lawyer Ch Usman Ali, was approved for hearing by a sessions court in Lahore. The court has issued a notice to the NCCIA and summoned a reply from the agency on Monday.
As per the YouTuber’s appeal, the judicial magistrate did not properly examine the facts before approving the physical remand request. He requests that the physical remand be declared null and void.
Ducky Bhai has been in the NCCIA’s custody since his August 17 arrest. On August 28, a Lahore judicial magistrate approved his physical remand till Monday, September 1.
He was arrested at the Lahore airport and a case was filed against him by the state through the NCCIA Lahore under sections 13 (Electronic Forgery), 14 (Electronic Fraud), 25 (Spamming) and 26 (Spoofing) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 as well as sections 294 B (Offering prize in connection with trade) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducting delivery of property) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The case is related to an inquiry dated June 13 and registered on the “receipt of information from reliable source(s)” that some YouTubers and social media influencers were promoting gambling and betting applications to the general public via their social media accounts for their own monetary benefits.
Separately, the YouTuber’s wife, Aroob Jatoi, has been granted an extension in her pre-arrest bail till September 15.
The sessions court has barred the NCCIA from arresting her in the same case and summoned a detailed investigation report at the next hearing. She approached the court after the agency sent her an inquiry notice, saying she was afraid she would be arrested.
In her appeal, she said she was prepared to cooperate with the agency and appear for questioning. This is her second bail request — the first was granted on August 21, after which she appeared before the agency for questioning.
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