Prominent Pakistani YouTuber Ducky Bhai, real name Saadur Rehman, was detained by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) at Lahore Airport on Sunday.
A two-day remand was approved by the courts over the alleged promotion of online gambling and betting platforms, including Binomo and 1xBet, through his YouTube channel, which has more than eight million subscribers.
The influencer is one of Pakistan’s most popular content creators, with this latest indiscretion coming after he was cautioned by motorway police for performing dangerous stunts while behind the wheel earlier this year.
Following his arrest, Rehman was presented at a local court in Lahore, where authorities requested a two-day remand, which was subsequently granted, with a request for the individual to appear again on August 19 (Tuesday).
As detailed by Pakistan Today, the NCCIA had been investigating Ducky Bhai due to the content on his YouTube channel, accusing him of facilitating online gambling by endorsing several platforms, with some of those not registered in Pakistan.
Back in March, the Google-owned mega site vowed to crack down on “unapproved” betting and gambling videos, but examples like this show that such content is still visible.
It has been alleged that viewers of the channel suffered financial loss after investing in some of the apps endorsed by Ducky Bhai, who has not yet commented on the ongoing legal wrangle.
NCCIA officials confirmed that the case is ongoing with further proceedings to unfold in the coming days.
The previous dangerous driving controversy could be a costly hangover for Rehman, after the online content went viral, putting his name into the headlines for the wrong reasons.
He was shown to be driving on the motorway at high speed, with his feet on the sterling wheel and appearing to be asleep, with the car cruising on autopilot. The stunt triggered significant criticism with the national motorways police specifically issuing a public awareness video to warn people against the activity.
Image credit: @duckybhai/X
