YouTuber Saad Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai, has finally secured bail from the Lahore High Court in a case related to the promotion of gambling applications.

 

The court approved his bail on a surety of ten lakh rupees. Justice Shahram Sarwar Chaudhry delivered the verdict, with Rehman’s lawyers, Imran Chadhar and Shehriyar Goraya, present in court.

 

The case was registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Lahore at midnight on August 17 under sections 13 (Electronic Forgery), 14 (Electronic Fraud), 25 (Spamming), and 26 (Spoofing) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, read with sections 294B (Offering prize in connection with trade) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

 

According to the FIR, the inquiry began on June 13 after information from reliable sources suggested that several YouTubers and social media influencers were promoting gambling and betting applications to the public for monetary gain. 

 

Rehman allegedly promoted apps including Binomo, 1xBet, Bet365, and B9 Game on his YouTube channel, causing viewers to invest their money and suffer financial losses.

 

The FIR included 27 video links from Rehman’s account that allegedly advertised these apps, though several videos are no longer available.

 

Rehman had previously applied for bail in the district and sessions court and before a judicial magistrate, but his applications were rejected, prompting him to approach the high court. 

 

He had argued that he was never served any notice by the NCCIA before his arrest.

 

Earlier this month, the court issued notices to the NCCIA to submit arguments regarding Rehman’s application. In a related development at the end of October, nine NCCIA officers were booked for allegedly misusing their authority, extorting money from Rehman, and taking bribes.