‘My sole source of income’: Pakistani YouTuber asks court to restore channel access
Ducky Bhai assures court he would not tamper with the videos flagged by Pakistan’s cybercrime agency
Laiba Zainab
Correspondent
Laiba Zainab is an award-winning journalist with nearly a decade of experience in digital media. She has received the DW & CEJ-IBA Data Journalism Award and the top digital media prize at the National Media Fellowship. At NUKTA, she covers underreported stories on health, crime, and social justice.
Saad-ur-Rehman, known for his family vlogs, gaming content, and frequent online controversies, has a significant following among Pakistan's youth.
YouTuber Saad-ur-Rehman, widely known online as Ducky Bhai, stated on Monday that access to his YouTube channel should be restored as he appeared before a Lahore court in a case linked to the promotion of gambling applications.
Rehman stated this in his affidavit, which he submitted during a hearing at a district court in Lahore. He told the court that Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency had raised objections to 17 videos on his YouTube channel.
He assured the court that no tampering would be done with the videos. He pledged that the content would neither be deleted nor edited.
The YouTuber said his channel is his sole source of income. He claimed that restricted access to the account had caused him significant financial losses.
After receiving the affidavit, the court sought a reply from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
What’s the case?
Rehman was arrested on Aug. 17 at Lahore airport while attempting to travel abroad. Authorities accused him of involvement in money laundering through gambling applications.
He was later released on bail after the Lahore High Court approved surety bonds worth PKR 1 million.
Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhary of the Lahore High Court granted Rehman bail against a surety bond of PKR 1 million, or about $3,600.
Rehman had remained in custody since his arrest at Lahore’s international airport, where officials from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency detained him.
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The case was registered shortly after midnight on the day of his arrest.
The First Information Report cites sections of Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, including electronic forgery, fraud, spamming and spoofing.
It also includes sections of the Pakistan Penal Code related to offering unlawful prizes and cheating.
Who is Saad-ur-Rehman aka Ducky bhai?
Rehman has more than eight million subscribers and is among Pakistan’s most prominent digital content creators.
He is best known for family vlogs, gaming videos and online controversies. His arrest drew widespread attention in Pakistan’s digital and social media circles.
This is not his first legal controversy.
In 2023, Rehman and his wife, Aroob, were briefly detained after a firearm appeared in one of her Instagram posts.
They were released without charges after submitting written apologies to authorities.
The couple has also faced other controversies, including a deepfake video scandal involving Aroob.
In that case, they announced a reward of PKR 1 million, or about $3,600, for information leading to the identification of the person responsible.
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