Missing Pakistan cybercrime officer found in custody as major graft scandal engulfs agency

A senior Pakistani cybercrime officer who was reported missing earlier this month has been found in the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), as investigators uncover what officials describe as one of the country’s largest internal corruption and extortion rackets within its cybercrime enforcement body.

Deputy Director Muhammad Usman of the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) was allegedly abducted from the parking lot of his Islamabad residence on October 14, according to his wife, Rozina, who filed a missing persons complaint three days later.

She also petitioned the Islamabad High Court for his recovery. However, during the first hearing on October 20, Rozina’s lawyer told the court that she herself had gone missing two days earlier, on October 18, prompting Justice Azam Khan to give police three days to locate both individuals.

At a subsequent hearing on October 24, the court directed authorities to obtain WhatsApp logs, geofencing data, and travel records to aid the investigation into the disappearance of the couple.

The case took a dramatic turn this week when FIA Lahore confirmed that Muhammad Usman was, in fact, in its custody - arrested on corruption and abuse-of-authority charges. In a written statement, Usman denied being abducted, claiming instead that he had gone into hiding to avoid an internal inquiry into his colleagues.

“I was afraid of the inquiry and went into hiding. I was not abducted by anyone. I have now been arrested,” Usman stated in his testimony to investigators.

The FIA presented him before a Lahore court and sought a 14-day physical remand for questioning. The court, however, granted only three days of custody for interrogation and evidence collection.

Extortion network exposes deep-rooted corruption

According to FIR No. 36/2025, registered with the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore by Aroob Jatoi, wife of popular YouTuber Saadur Rehman (known as Ducky Bhai), a group of NCCIA officials allegedly extorted nine million rupees from her family in exchange for dropping cybercrime charges. The FIR accuses officials of blackmail, unlawful detention, and misuse of authority.

Each officer’s alleged role is detailed in the FIR. Additional Director Sarfraz Chaudhry is accused of directing the extortion plan, while Deputy Director Zawar Ahmad and Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz allegedly negotiated the amount and received payments.

Sub-Inspectors Ali Raza and Yasir Ramzan reportedly managed communications and cash transfers, while Assistant Director Mujtaba Zafar coordinated between Lahore and Islamabad offices for the transfer of funds to senior officers.

The document also names Deputy Directors Muhammad Usman and Ayaz Khan as central figures in what investigators describe as a wider extortion network within the NCCIA. Officials familiar with the inquiry say both officers collected PKR 1.5 to 2 million per month from ongoing cybercrime cases, allegedly distributing portions of the proceeds among senior officials as part of a “monthly share” arrangement.

Sources close to the investigation claim the kickback chain extended to the top levels of the agency. Above the two deputy directors are only the Director NCCIA Punjab and the Director General (DG) NCCIA Pakistan. The inquiry suggests that a portion of the illicit monthly funds was reportedly passed upward as protection payments, allowing the network to operate unchecked.

In a related move, DG NCCIA Waqar-ud-Din Syed, who headed the agency during the period under scrutiny, has been transferred, with Grade-21 officer Syed Khurram Ali appointed as the new Director General.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director Ayaz Khan and Inspector Salman Aziz remain at large, as investigators trace bank transactions, communication records, and digital evidence linked to the alleged extortion ring.

With Muhammad Usman’s arrest and the exposure of an organized “monthly share” system within the NCCIA, officials say the scandal has revealed systemic corruption inside Pakistan’s cybercrime enforcement structure - one that allegedly thrived on intimidation, hush money, and institutional complicity.