Lahore court moved for production of six NCCIA officers arrested over alleged bribery, power abuse

A lawyer for six officials of National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), who have been arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over allegations of bribery and abuse of power, has approached a Lahore court seeking directives for the FIA to produce them before a magistrate.

On Monday, the FIA confirmed the arrest of the six officers, including Additional Director Chaudhry Sarfraz, In-charge Zawar Ahmad, Sub-Inspector Ali Raza, Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz, Yasir Ramzan, and Mujtaba Zafar. They had reportedly been missing for several weeks.

The arrested officers are expected to be presented before a district court soon to face formal proceedings.

In a petition filed before a judicial magistrate, Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq stated that the officers had been taken into custody by the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle in Lahore. The lawyer alleged that since their detention, neither family members nor legal representatives had been allowed access to the accused.

He also claimed the FIA had withheld a copy of the first information report (FIR), terming the act a breach of constitutional rights under Article 10A, the Police Rules of 1934, the Police Order of 2002, and internal departmental procedures.

The plea urged the court to direct the FIA’s Lahore director and the deputy director of its Anti-Corruption Circle to produce the detained NCCIA officials before the court.

Last month, Chaudhry Sarfraz was removed from his position in Lahore and instructed to report to NCCIA headquarters in Islamabad. He had subsequently applied for a six-month leave.

The disputes associated with Sarfraz included actions taken against several YouTubers and social media influencers—among them Saadur Rehman, known as Ducky Bhai, and Rajab Butt—over their alleged involvement in unlicensed online trading and gambling applications.