LAHORE; The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested six officials of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on charges of corruption and abuse of power, according to their lawyer, Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Barrister Ashfaq said that the arrested officials were taken into FIA custody on allegations of “misuse of authority and receiving bribes.” He added that they would be presented before a district court on Tuesday, where he would represent them.
The arrested officers include Additional Director Chaudhry Sarfraz, In-charge Zawar, Sub-Inspector Ali Raza, Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz, Yasir Gujjar, and Mujtaba Kamran.
Sources said that Additional Director Sarfraz had been removed from his position last month amid multiple controversies and was asked to report to the NCCIA headquarters in Islamabad. He later sought a six-month leave after being transferred.
The controversies surrounding him involved several cases, including operations against well-known YouTubers and social media influencers such as Saadur Rehman (popularly known as Ducky Bhai) and Rajab Butt, accused of promoting unregulated online trading and gambling applications.
Another case pertained to a confrontation with lawyers who allegedly attempted to secure the release of a suspect in NCCIA custody. A third controversy involved a dispute between a group of Lahore-based journalists and some police officials, in which the journalists sought NCCIA’s intervention against the police.
According to an FIA official, Chaudhry’s transfer was made in response to numerous complaints regarding his conduct.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday granted police an additional week to locate missing NCCIA Deputy Director Muhammad Usman, who disappeared earlier this month. The order came during a hearing on a petition filed by his wife, Rozina Usman, who alleged that her husband was abducted by four armed men on October 14.
In a new twist, the court was informed that Rozina herself had gone missing after filing the petition, prompting the court to demand an updated report from police on both disappearances.
