The Lahore district court on Wednesday allowed two-day physical remand of a YouTuber in a case of promoting gambling apps through his videos.
The accused YouTuber - Saad ur Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai - was detained in August by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) at Lahore Airport when he was attempting to flee the country. His name was placed on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).
The hearing was delayed by 10 minutes. It resumed when defence counsel Usman Mushtaq informed the court that the accused wanted to express his views.
Before the court, Ducky Bhai stated that he was satisfied with the investigation to date, affirmed his respect for the institutions, and noted he had no objection if authorities chose to conduct further inquiries.
The investigating officer had requested for five-day remand to recover electronic devices and his social media accounts linked to the case. The court, however, allowed two-day remand and issued directives that Ducky Bhai should be produced before the court at the next hearing on September 5.
Ducky Bhai was arrested following an FIR lodged by NCCIA under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The case was registered on August 17 under sections 13 (Electronic Forgery), 14 (Electronic Fraud), 25 (Spamming) and 26 (Spoofing) of PECA, along with sections 294-B (Offering prize in connection with trade) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the PPC.
According to the FIR, the YouTuber is accused of promoting gambling and betting applications that defrauded users and collected millions of rupees. This is not the first controversy surrounding the YouTuber, who is among Pakistan's most followed online personalities.
Earlier this year, he faced legal trouble when the Lahore High Court granted him protective bail in a reckless driving case.
The incident stemmed from a viral video in which he was seen allegedly driving on motorway at a high speed, with his feet on the steering wheel, and appearing to sleep while the car moved on cruise control mode. This stunt triggered widespread criticism on social media, with many calling it ‘irresponsible and life-threatening’.
The National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) registered a case under relevant laws and later released an awareness video warning citizens against imitating such acts.
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