The Lahore High Court has granted bail to YouTuber Saad ur Rehman, widely known as Ducky Bhai, in a case accusing him of promoting illegal online gambling applications. Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry approved the bail on Monday against a surety of Rs1 million, though he remains in official custody for now.
Saad ur Rehman was arrested on August 17 by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) at Lahore Airport after immigration officials stopped him from leaving the country. His name had been placed on the Provisional National Identification List, and authorities said he appeared to be attempting to travel abroad despite ongoing investigations.
During the hearing, Justice Shehram highlighted that the Supreme Court has previously held that denying bail in such cases is unusual. The judge had earlier summoned arguments from both sides before announcing the order.
Rehman’s arrest stems from a midnight FIR registered by the NCCIA Lahore under multiple provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), including electronic forgery, electronic fraud, spamming, and spoofing. Sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) related to cheating and offering trade-related prizes were also added.
The case originated from a June 13 inquiry based on information that several influencers were promoting gambling and betting apps for personal financial gain. Investigators alleged that members of the public suffered losses after investing their money in these platforms. The FIR specifically accused Rehman of promoting apps such as Binomo, 1xBet, Bet365, and B9 Game through his YouTube channel, citing 27 video links, many of which have since been taken down now.
Rehman had earlier sought bail from a judicial magistrate and a sessions court, but both applications were dismissed. He then turned to the Lahore High Court, arguing that he had not received any prior notice from the NCCIA before his arrest.
In a separate development, nine officers from the NCCIA were recently booked on allegations of misusing their authority, extorting money from Saad ur Rehman, and accepting bribes
