YouTuber Saadur Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai, has filed an appeal against a Lahore judicial magistrate’s decision to extend his physical remand to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in a case involving the promotion of illegal online gambling apps.

The appeal, submitted on Saturday through his lawyer Ch Usman Ali, was accepted for hearing by a sessions court, which issued a notice to the NCCIA and sought a response on Monday.

In his petition, Ducky Bhai argues that the magistrate failed to properly examine the facts before approving the remand extension and has requested the court to declare the order null and void.

The YouTuber has been in NCCIA custody since his arrest on August 17. On August 28, the magistrate extended his remand until September 1. He was arrested at Lahore airport after a case was filed against him under sections 13 (Electronic Forgery), 14 (Electronic Fraud), 25 (Spamming), and 26 (Spoofing) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, along with sections 294-B (Offering prize in connection with trade) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The case stems from a June 13 inquiry based on “reliable sources” alleging that YouTubers and social media influencers were promoting gambling and betting apps for monetary gain through their social media platforms.

Separately, the court granted an extension in pre-arrest bail to Ducky Bhai’s wife, Aroob Jatoi, until September 15. The sessions court barred the NCCIA from arresting her in the same case and ordered the agency to submit a detailed investigation report at the next hearing.

Aroob sought bail after receiving an NCCIA inquiry notice, expressing fear of arrest. She stated in her appeal that she was willing to cooperate and appear for questioning. This marks her second bail request; the court granted the first on August 21, after which she appeared before investigators.