Lahore Court Indicts Ducky Bhai and Wife Aroob Jatoi in Online Gambling Promotion Case
A district court in Lahore on Monday indicted popular YouTuber Saad-ur-Rehman, widely known as Ducky Bhai, and his wife Aroob Jatoi in a case related to the alleged promotion of online gambling and betting applications. Both the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges during the hearing and rejected all allegations levelled against them.
The proceedings were held in the court of Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo, where Ducky Bhai, his wife and other co-accused appeared. After formally framing the charges, the court recorded the statements of the accused, who denied any involvement in promoting gambling platforms. The magistrate subsequently summoned prosecution witnesses and fixed February 23 as the next date of hearing for the recording of their testimonies.
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The case was registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, which alleges that Ducky Bhai and others promoted online gambling and betting applications through digital platforms and social media. According to the First Information Report, the YouTuber allegedly advertised platforms such as Binomo and 1xBet on his YouTube channel, raising concerns over illegal online betting and the exposure of young audiences to gambling-related content.
Ducky Bhai, one of Pakistan’s most-followed digital content creators with more than 10 million subscribers and over 800 uploaded videos, was arrested on August 17, 2025, after the case was registered by the NCCIA. The FIR includes charges under sections 13, 14, 25 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, along with sections 294-B and 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
He remained in NCCIA custody for nearly three months before securing bail from the Lahore High Court and was released on November 26. Following his release, Saad-ur-Rehman made serious allegations against NCCIA officials, claiming he was subjected to torture, abuse and humiliation during interrogation.
In a video statement released in December 2025, the YouTuber emotionally described being slapped, verbally abused and physically mistreated while in custody. He alleged that a senior officer repeatedly assaulted him, forced him into stress positions and even subjected him to a video call during which a child was encouraged to hurl abuse at him. He directly accused former NCCIA Lahore additional director Sarfraz Chaudhry of overseeing and participating in the alleged mistreatment.
Sarfraz Chaudhry was dismissed from service in September 2025 and removed from his post amid multiple controversies, including allegations of beating the YouTuber. In October, the Federal Investigation Agency arrested Chaudhry along with six other NCCIA officials on charges of misuse of authority and accepting bribes to favour a complainant in an ongoing inquiry.
The officials named in the bribery and misuse of authority case include Sarfraz Chaudhry, Zafar, Shoaib Riaz, Ali Raza, Mujtaba Zafar and Yasir. Investigations into their alleged misconduct are currently under way.
Meanwhile, during Monday’s court proceedings, the defence reiterated that the accusations against Ducky Bhai and his wife are baseless and unproven. With the indictment now complete, the case will move into the evidence stage, with witness testimonies expected to play a key role when the court resumes hearings on February 23.
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