LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has reissued notices to television actor Momina Iqbal and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Saqib Chadhar following the emergence of new digital evidence in a case involving allegations of cyber harassment, threats and blackmail.
The agency has also constituted a special investigation team to conduct a fresh probe into the matter.
According to an NCCIA spokesperson, the team will be headed by a deputy director-level officer and will examine the newly surfaced digital evidence, previous investigation records and other relevant material connected with the case.
The team has been directed to complete the investigation within one month and submit its findings to the NCCIA director general.
The spokesperson said any decision regarding further legal action would be taken after reviewing the investigation team's findings and recommendations. The agency also cautioned that it would be premature to declare any person guilty or innocent before the investigation is completed.
The renewed investigation follows the emergence of additional digital evidence, prompting the agency to revisit the case and seek statements and relevant information from both Iqbal and Chadhar.
Bail petitions withdrawn
Separately, a Lahore district court disposed of the pre-arrest interim bail petitions filed by Chadhar and his wife after their counsel withdrew the applications.
The development came after the newly appointed investigating officer (IO), Hassan Sajjad Naqvi, told the court that the suspects' arrest was not required at the present stage of the investigation.
The position differed from that of the previous IO, NCCIA Station House Officer Najam Bajwa, who told a sessions court on July 28 that Chadhar had been found guilty during the investigation.
Following Naqvi's statement, Chadhar and his wife withdrew their bail petitions. The court subsequently disposed of the petitions as withdrawn.
The court's disposal of the bail petitions does not, by itself, amount to a finding on the merits of the allegations against the suspects.
How the case began
The case traces back to May 20, when Iqbal said on social media that she had been facing online harassment, cyberbullying and death threats for an extended period.
In an Instagram story, the actor alleged—without naming the individual—that an MPA affiliated with the PML-N had allegedly been threatening her for a prolonged period. She said she and her family had experienced severe mental stress and trauma as a result.
Iqbal also claimed that she had previously approached the NCCIA and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), but alleged that no effective action had been taken.
She appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for intervention, saying she expected the matter to be dealt with impartially and according to law.
Three days later, on May 22, Iqbal submitted a formal complaint at Chung Police Station in Lahore, accusing Chadhar and other alleged accomplices of cyber harassment, criminal intimidation, blackmail, defamatory campaigns and interference in her marriage.
According to the complaint, Iqbal alleged that Chadhar had subjected her to what she described as continuous harassment, death threats and psychological torture after she rejected his marriage proposal and ended contact with him in 2022.
The complaint alleged that threatening telephone calls, WhatsApp messages, fake social media activity and AI-generated images were used to intimidate her and damage her reputation ahead of her planned marriage.
It further alleged that she was repeatedly threatened with death if she refused to marry him.
The complaint also referred to an alleged meeting at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore in December 2024, where Iqbal claimed she was again threatened and warned against marrying another person.
Allegations involving digital material
According to the complaint, the situation intensified after Iqbal's engagement was finalised.
She alleged that explicit and AI-edited photographs were sent to her WhatsApp number from unidentified contacts in an attempt to blackmail her and disrupt her marriage.
Similar material was allegedly sent to her sister, while members of her fiancé's family allegedly received threatening calls.
Iqbal further claimed that her fiancé, who was residing in Karachi, received repeated calls and threatening messages from unidentified numbers and social media accounts that she alleged were linked to the accused.
The complaint also alleged that political influence was being used to pressure her and obstruct action on earlier complaints.
Iqbal requested that criminal proceedings be initiated against Chadhar, his wife and other alleged facilitators. She also sought security for her family and immediate legal action.
All such allegations remain allegations and have not been established as facts by a final court judgment.
Maryam Nawaz's response
Following Iqbal's appeal for assistance, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz described the matter involving a PML-N provincial lawmaker and a prominent media personality as a "personal issue".
She said the matter would be dealt with strictly on merit and in accordance with the law.
The chief minister also warned against attempts to exert pressure or misuse influence through threats involving the release of personal content, saying such conduct would face firm action.
NCCIA case
On June 4, the NCCIA registered a case against Chadhar on the basis of Iqbal's complaint.
The case was registered under Sections 3, 4, 21 and 24 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), along with Sections 506, 201, 34 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The PECA provisions cited in the case concern unauthorised access to information systems or data, unauthorised copying or transmission of data, offences involving the modesty of a natural person or minor, and cyberstalking.
The Pakistan Penal Code provisions cited relate to criminal intimidation, causing disappearance of evidence or providing false information to screen an offender, acts carried out by several persons in furtherance of a common intention, and abetment.
With the NCCIA now conducting a fresh investigation, the legal status of the allegations remains subject to the agency's findings and any subsequent proceedings before the courts.
For now, the agency has emphasised that no conclusion regarding guilt or innocence should be drawn until the renewed investigation is completed.
