The Lahore High Court has granted bail to YouTube personality Saad-ur-Rehman, better known online as Ducky Bhai, bringing a significant turn in a case that has kept him in custody since mid-August.
The decision came on Monday after the court accepted his bail request and ordered him to submit surety bonds worth Rs 1 million ($11,174).
Illegal Gambling Promotion Via YouTube
The ruling was issued by Justice Shahram Sarwar Chaudhry. Saad-ur-Rehman appeared before the court through his legal team, which included Imran Chadhar and Shaharyar Goraiah.
His arrest dates back to August 17, 2025, when NCCIA officials detained him at Lahore Airport on accusations that he had promoted gambling apps on his YouTube channel.
The case against him began earlier in the summer. On June 13, investigators started looking into claims that several YouTubers and social media influencers were advertising gambling and betting apps in exchange for money.
According to the FIR, many people lost money through these apps, and Saad-ur-Rahman was allegedly involved in promoting more than one of them. The document even claimed he served as a “Country Manager” for one of the apps while also listing 27 links to videos from his channel that reportedly promoted these platforms, though many of those videos have since been removed.
Before turning to the High Court, Saad-ur-Rehman had tried to secure bail from the District and Sessions Courts, but those attempts were rejected. He then approached the Lahore High Court, which issued notices earlier this month asking the NCCIA to present its arguments.
He told the court that he had not received any notice from the agency before being taken into custody.
NCCIA Bribery Accusations
There’s another layer to the story as well. In late October, nine NCCIA officials were themselves accused of abusing their authority and allegedly taking bribes from Saad-ur-Rehman.
These allegations added more complexity to the case and raised questions about how the investigation was being handled.
For the time being, the court’s decision enables the YouTuber to leave custody while the case moves on, with the charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 and related parts of the Pakistan Penal Code remaining in place.
A few months ago, Pakistani authorities blocked several betting and unregulated trading apps while extending Rehman’s remand as investigators looked into allegations that covered electronic fraud and unlicensed promotional activities, among others.