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LAHORE: In a shake-up at the cybercrime agency, the government on Tuesday transferred NCCIA head Waqaruddin Syed after nine officials were booked — six of them produced in court and remanded — over accusations of taking bribes and misusing authority in probes, including the case against YouTuber Saadur Rehman (Ducky Bhai).
National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Director General Waqaruddin Syed was asked to report to the Establishment Division. In his place, Syed Khurram Ali, a BS-21 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan, has been appointed. He previously served with the Punjab government.
Meanwhile, six NCCIA officers — Additional Director Sarfraz (Lahore), Deputy Director (acting in-charge) Muhammad Zawar Ahmad, Assistant Directors Shoaib Riaz and Mujtaba Zafar, and Sub-inspectors Ali Raza and Yasir Ramzan — who had reportedly been missing for weeks, were produced handcuffed before Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo and remanded to FIA custody for three days.
Six officers produced handcuffed in court; three-day FIA remand granted
An FIA prosecutor said the suspects are accused of accepting bribes and abusing authority in the case against the YouTuber over alleged promotion of gambling apps on social media. Defence counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq argued that the legal formalities for the arrests had not been fulfilled.
According to the FIA, the case was registered on a complaint by Mr Rehman’s wife, Aroob Jatoi, who accused the officials of taking over Rs100 million — both in local and foreign currency — and misusing their powers.
The FIA also named three more NCCIA officers — Deputy Director (Islamabad) Muhammad Usman, whose wife has filed a disappearance petition in the Islamabad High Court, Deputy Director (Islamabad) Ayaz Khan and Inspector Salman Aziz.
All nine suspects have been booked under Sections 109 and 161 of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
An internal inquiry found the suspects allegedly operated as a network, taking monthly cash bribes to “facilitate call centres, aggregator companies and individuals involved in online fraud”.
After keeping their shares, they purportedly distributed the remaining proceeds among other members of the “official gang”.
An official source alleged the NCCIA — formed in May by converting the FIA Cyber Crime Wing — had “become part of the problem rather than curbing it”. He said complaints had also been received about the exploitation of victim women by some elements.
Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2025
