The Federal Investigation Agency has arrested six staff of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on allegations of abuse of authority and accepting bribes, their lawyer said on Monday.
Lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaq said dawn.com The six were “taken into FIA custody and arrested on charges of abuse of authority and bribery.”
He said they would be produced in district court on Tuesday and that he would represent them.
Ashfaq said the six were additional director Chaudhry Sarfraz, in-charge Zawar, sub-inspector Ali Raza, assistant director Shoaib Riaz, Yasir Gujjar and Mujtaba Kamran.
Chaudhry was reportedly removed over different controversies last month and asked to report to the NCCIA headquarters in Islamabad. He said he was transferred to headquarters and had applied for a six-month leave.
The three controversies revolved around bringing to task several YouTubers/social media influencers, including Saadur Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai and Rajab Butt, for their alleged involvement in unregulated online gambling and trading apps.
The other was the registration of a case against some lawyers who allegedly tried to get the NCCIA to release a suspect. The third controversy related to a fight between a group of Lahore journalists and a serving deputy inspector general of police and some other police officials, as the former prompted the NCCIA to take action against the latter. According to an official, Chaudhry was transferred in light of different complaints against him.
The Islamabad High Court on Friday granted the police one more week to locate NCCIA Deputy Director Muhammad Usman, who has been missing for several days. The development occurred during the hearing of a petition filed by Rozina Usman for the recovery of her husband. She alleged that four armed individuals kidnapped her husband on October 14.
The court was also informed that the petitioner herself had disappeared after initiating the case. This development had led the court to request an updated police report on both disappearances.
