NCCIA Issues Fresh Notices to Momina Iqbal and Saqib Chadhar Over Harassment Case

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has issued fresh notices to television actor Momina Iqbal and PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar after new evidence emerged in an ongoing harassment case.

Both Iqbal and Chadhar have been called to appear at the NCCIA office in Lahore on September 4. The agency has also formed a special investigation team to examine the latest evidence and review the records already collected during the investigation.

NCCIA Issues Fresh Notices to Momina Iqbal and Saqib Chadhar Over Harassment Case

NCCIA Punjab Deputy Director Waqas Saeed said the new team will be led by a deputy director. The team has been given one month to complete its inquiry and submit its findings to the agency’s director general.

He said that any further legal action would depend on the outcome of the investigation. He also stressed that it was too early to declare either party guilty or innocent before the inquiry was completed.

Court Withdraws Bail Pleas

The development came as a Lahore court disposed of the pre-arrest interim bail petitions filed by Saqib Chadhar and his wife. The petitions were withdrawn after the new investigating officer told the court that their arrest was not required at this stage.

The case took a new turn after the investigating officer changed. During an earlier hearing on July 28, former IO and NCCIA officer Najam Bajwa had told the court that Chadhar had been found guilty following the investigation.

However, the new investigating officer, Hassan Sajjad Naqvi, informed the court that the investigation had changed after new evidence was presented. He said there was currently no need to arrest the suspects.

According to the summons, the suspects had requested a fresh investigation based on new defence evidence. Iqbal was also asked to provide her statement regarding the newly presented material.

Iqbal attended the court hearing when the latest development was discussed. Following the statement from the investigating officer, Chadhar and his wife withdrew their bail petitions.

How the Case Started

The dispute became public earlier this year when Momina Iqbal spoke about alleged online harassment, cyberbullying and death threats. In a social media post in May, she said she and her family had experienced significant mental stress because of the alleged harassment.

Iqbal initially did not publicly name the person she accused. She said a PML-N provincial assembly member had allegedly been threatening her for an extended period. She also claimed that she had previously approached cybercrime authorities over the matter.

However, she later filed a formal complaint, accusing Chadhar, his wife and others of allegedly carrying out a campaign involving cyber harassment, stalking, intimidation, blackmail and threats.

Iqbal also alleged that Chadhar made threatening calls after she rejected his marriage proposal. She further claimed that he sent threatening WhatsApp messages and made video calls. According to her complaint, similar messages were also sent to her sister.

See Also: Defence Day Cyber Threat Alert! National CERT Orders 24/7 Monitoring of Critical Digital Infrastructure

Chadhar’s lawyer rejected the allegations and maintained that the two had known each other for several years.

The NCCIA later registered case against Chadhar on June 4 under several provisions of the PECA and Pakistan Penal Code. The allegations include unauthorised access or transmission of data, offences against modesty, cyberstalking and criminal intimidation.

The latest notices mean the case will now undergo another detailed review as investigators examine the newly presented evidence.