A local court in Lahore formally indicted on Monday Pakistani YouTuber Saad ur Rehman, widely known as Ducky Bhai, his spouse Aroob Jatoi and other co-accused in a case related to the alleged promotion of online gambling, and summoned prosecution witnesses for the next hearing.
Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo presided over the proceedings, during which Rehman, Jatoi and two other accused appeared before the court and marked their attendance.
The magistrate read out the charges, which the accused denied. After their pleas of not guilty, the court formally framed the charges and adjourned the hearing until February 23, directing prosecution witnesses to appear on the next date.
The case was registered by Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, which has accused Rehman and three others of promoting online gambling applications. Prosecutors have already submitted the challan, or charge sheet, to the court.
Copies of the charge sheet were distributed to the accused during an earlier hearing, according to court records.
Rehman is among Pakistan’s most prominent digital content creators, with more than eight million subscribers on YouTube. He is best known for family vlogs, gaming videos and online controversies, and his arrest in the gambling promotion case drew widespread attention across Pakistan’s social media landscape.
How it all started
Authorities arrested Rehman on Aug. 17 at Lahore’s international airport while he was attempting to travel abroad. The case was registered shortly after midnight on the day of his arrest, officials said.
Investigators accused him of involvement in money laundering through gambling applications, an allegation he has denied.
Rehman remained in custody following his arrest until the Lahore High Court granted him bail. Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhary approved his release against surety bonds worth PKR 1 million, or about $3,600.
The First Information Report cites multiple sections of Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, including provisions related to electronic forgery, fraud, spamming and spoofing.
It also includes sections of the Pakistan Penal Code dealing with offering unlawful prizes and cheating, according to the charge sheet submitted by prosecutors.
The current proceedings are not Rehman’s first legal controversy. In 2023, he and his wife were briefly detained after a firearm appeared in one of Jatoi’s Instagram posts. Both were released without charges after submitting written apologies to authorities.
The couple has also faced other controversies, including a deepfake video scandal involving Jatoi. In that case, they announced a reward of PKR 1 million for information leading to the identification of the person responsible.
The court is expected to hear testimony from prosecution witnesses at the next hearing later this month.
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