Court approves three-day physical remand of Six NCCIA Officers amid allegations of bribery

LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) — A local court in Lahore has issued a written decision approving the three-day physical remand of six officers from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) who were arrested on charges of accepting bribes.

In the two-page judgment issued by Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo, it was stated that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) investigating officer had requested further physical remand, and the prosecutor informed the court that a probe into assets beyond known income had also been initiated against the accused.

According to the decision, the FIA’s lawyer told the court that although the FIR lists around Rs 90 lakh, recoveries exceeded Rs 4 crore, and described the arrested officers as highly adept and requiring “extraordinary methods” for proper interrogation.

The prosecution further told the court that the matter involved white-collar crime, that the accused were well versed in methods of accepting bribes, and that initial inquiries had already confirmed their involvement in bribery.

The court observed that during the previous remand period of three days, the recovery of a significant amount of money constituted a notable development, and therefore the accused could not be released at this stage. The court granted the request for remand and ordered that the officers be presented again before the court on 3 November.

According to the FIA, recoveries from the suspects totalled Rs 4 crore 25 lakh 48 thousand, including Rs 1 crore 12 lakh 95 thousand recovered from one of the accused, Sarfraz Chaudhry. The case has been registered by NCCIA against six officers.