Pakistan's YouTuber Crackdown Widens: Three More Stars Booked For Promoting Illegal Trading Apps

The crackdown on Pakistan's top YouTubers has just widened dramatically. Hot on the heels of the shocking arrest of Ducky Bhai, three more prominent creators—Rajab Butt, Anas, and Huraira—have been booked by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for their alleged involvement in promoting unregulated online trading and gambling apps.

This move signals a massive escalation in the NCCIA crackdown on social media influencers, sending a clear message that lucrative but legally questionable financial promotions will no longer be tolerated. The booking of these three Pakistani YouTubers comes just as the community is reeling from the recent arrest of one of its biggest stars, Ducky Bhai (Saad ur Rehman), for similar allegations.

"This is just the beginning," a source close to the investigation allegedly told DeetsDaily. "The agency is looking at dozens of influencers who have promoted these risky platforms to their young audiences. For a long time, there has been a gray area, but the NCCIA is making it black and white: if you promote illegal financial products, you will be held accountable."

The core of the issue is the proliferation of unregulated online trading in Pakistan. These platforms often operate like gambling apps, promising huge returns but carrying immense risk, with little to no consumer protection. The YouTubers, with their millions of followers, are accused of lending legitimacy to these apps and luring their fans into potentially devastating financial losses.

The case against Rajab Butt, Anas, and Huraira is said to mirror the one against Ducky Bhai, focusing on their direct promotion of these YouTuber gambling apps. The NCCIA is reportedly building a case that these influencers were not just naive advertisers but active participants in a system that preyed on their followers' trust.

"You can't separate the influencer from the product in these cases," a financial regulation expert commented. "When a creator you trust tells you an app is a great way to make money, you're more likely to believe it. That trust is what the NCCIA is arguing has been criminally abused."

With the Saad ur Rehman arrest already sending shockwaves, this new development has created a palpable sense of fear within the Pakistani creator community. Many have scrambled to delete old promotional videos and distance themselves from any similar platforms. The era of easy money from high-risk financial apps appears to be over.

As the investigation continues, the careers of four of the nation's biggest online stars hang in the balance. Will this crackdown lead to a cleaner, more transparent influencer marketing space, or will it be seen as an attack on the creator economy? The answer will likely be decided in the courts, but for now, the message is clear: the rules of the game have changed.

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