Ducky Bhai to stay in jail as bail plea dismissed again in gambling apps case

A district and sessions court in Lahore on Thursday dismissed the bail application of YouTuber Saad-ur-Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai, in a case related to promotion of gambling apps.

This was the second bail plea of the YouTuber as a judicial magistrate had previously dismissed his request for release on bail.  

During the hearing, the prosecution contended that substantial evidence supported the allegations against him. The special prosecutor said that the inquiry stemmed from a credible source report that linked him to the promotion of gambling and forex apps.

The court was informed that the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has not licensed any gambling or forex applications, yet Ducky Bhai allegedly endorsed such unregistered platforms through his YouTube content, encouraging people to invest in them.

According to investigators, Rs160 million was discovered in one of his bank accounts and Rs50 million in another. The prosecutor told the court that the accused failed to provide any explanation for the origin of these funds, warning that the money “could have been used for terrorism or other illegal financing.”

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Responding to a court query regarding the “Binomo” app, a representative of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) confirmed that access to the platform has been blocked in Pakistan, although several other applications remain functional.

The prosecution further stated that investigators were in possession of the YouTuber’s mobile phones but had not been able to unlock them because of face-recognition security. The judge remarked, “If the face lock could not be bypassed, then what progress was made during the 22-day remand?”

Saad-ur-Rehman, who rose to fame with his comedy skits and family vlogs that amassed millions of followers, is now facing accusations of promoting illegal apps including “Binomo,” “Bet 365” and “39 Game.”

The FIR alleges he used his platform to lure people into investing in these applications, leading to widespread financial losses, and even acted as Binomo’s country manager in Pakistan without official authorisation.