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‘Missing’ NCCIA Officer Muhammad Usman Found in FIA Custody Over Extortion Case
The mystery deepens: Deputy Director NCCIA Muhammad Usman, earlier reported missing from Islamabad, is in FIA custody for alleged extortion and misuse of authority linked to the Ducky Bhai case.
MH
by Muhammad Hashir
2025-10-30
‘Missing’ NCCIA Officer Muhammad Usman Found in FIA Custody Over Extortion Case

The whereabouts of Deputy Director Muhammad Usman of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) — who was reported missing from Islamabad earlier this month — were revealed on Thursday after it emerged that he is in the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) custody in connection with a major corruption and extortion case.

Usman’s “disappearance” had led to a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) filed by his wife, Rozina Usman, who claimed that four armed men had abducted her husband on October 14. The IHC last week gave police one more week to locate him.

However, a short order dated October 29 by Lahore Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo confirmed that Usman was arrested by the FIA and had been remanded into three days’ physical custody to be produced before a district court on Saturday.

According to the FIA’s remand request, Usman was detained in connection with an inquiry into misuse of authority, extortion, and collusion with other NCCIA officials to solicit bribes from individuals under investigation.

Link to the Ducky Bhai Case

The case stems from a complaint filed by Aroob Jatoi, wife of popular YouTuber Saadur Rehman alias Ducky Bhai, who was earlier arrested in a case involving the promotion of gambling apps on social media.

In her complaint, Jatoi accused NCCIA officials of demanding millions of rupees to “provide relief” for her husband. The FIA’s First Information Report (FIR), registered on Monday, names several NCCIA officers, including:

·       Muhammad Usman, Deputy Director (Islamabad)

·       Ayaz Khan, Deputy Director (Islamabad)

·       Shoaib Riaz, Assistant Director (Lahore)

·       Salman Aziz, Inspector (Islamabad)

·       Sarfaraz, Additional Director (Lahore)

·       Zawar Ahmed, Acting Deputy Director (Lahore)

The FIR cites Sections 109 and 161 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 5(2)47 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which pertain to abetment, bribery, and criminal misconduct by public servants.

Allegations of Extortion and Misuse of Power

According to the FIR, Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz allegedly extorted Rs9 million from Rehman’s family — Rs6 million in cash and Rs3 million via cheques — through intermediaries while promising to ease his legal troubles.

Investigators claim that Riaz distributed the extorted money among several senior NCCIA officials:

·       Rs5 million was given to a friend of Acting Lahore Deputy Director Zawar Ahmed for “safekeeping.”

·       Rs500,000 each was given to Inspector Salman Aziz, lawyer Chaudhry Usman, and Additional Director Sarfaraz.

·       Riaz himself retained Rs2 million.

In a shocking revelation, the FIA also found that Riaz had transferred $326,420 from Rehman’s account to his own via Binance, a cryptocurrency platform.

The inquiry further uncovered that the accused officials operated as an organized network, routinely taking monthly bribes from call centres, online fraud networks, and companies engaged in illicit online activities. These funds were allegedly pooled and forwarded to higher-ups through intermediaries, including Usman and Ayaz in Islamabad.

The FIA’s Lahore Anti-Corruption Circle, led by Assistant Director Syed Zainul Abideen, is now investigating the case.

The revelations have raised serious concerns about systemic corruption within the NCCIA, an agency established to combat cybercrime. Usman’s unexpected reappearance in FIA custody has also sparked questions about the handling of his disappearance and the transparency of inter-agency investigations.
Tagged:

FIA

NCCIA

CyberCrime

DuckyBhai

MuhammadUsman
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