LAHORE: A judicial magistrate on Monday indicted prominent YouTuber Saadur Rehman, better known as Ducky Bhai, along with his wife Aroob Jatoi and other co-accused, in a case related to the alleged promotion of gambling and betting applications on social media.
All the accused pleaded not guilty and opted to face trial. Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo directed the prosecution to produce its witnesses at the next hearing, scheduled for February 23.
The case was registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which launched action against several YouTubers and TikTokers accused of promoting gambling apps through their online platforms.
According to the FIR, the inquiry — dated June 13, 2025 — was initiated after information received from “reliable sources” indicated that social media influencers were advertising gambling and betting applications to the public for financial gain.
Saadur Rehman was arrested by the NCCIA in August last year but was granted bail by the Lahore High Court on November 24.
The case has been registered under Sections 13 (electronic forgery), 14 (electronic fraud), 25 (spamming) and 26 (spoofing) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, read with Sections 294-B (offering prizes in connection with trade) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
In December, Rehman uploaded an hour-long video on his YouTube channel in which he alleged that he was subjected to physical and verbal abuse while in NCCIA custody.
Separately, in October, six NCCIA officials were placed on a three-day physical remand on allegations of misuse of authority, extortion and bribery, following a complaint filed by Aroob Jatoi.
In another related development, NCCIA Lahore Additional Director Sarfraz Chaudhry was removed from his post in September, reportedly over multiple controversies, including allegations of assault on Rehman.