Man accused of cybercrime arrested as bail cancelled

NOWSHERA: A former office-bearer of the Awami National Party (ANP) was arrested from the courtroom on Saturday after the cancellation of his bail in a cybercrime case filed by a senior journalist.

District and Sessions Judge Shahid Mehmood cancelled the bail before arrest of Raheem Khan Raheem in a defamation case which was filed by an erstwhile president of the Nowshera Press Club, Mushtaq Paracha.

The senior journalist had filed a formal complaint in the Cybercrime Cell of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). He had alleged that the accused had posted printed material and audio clips against him on his facebook page, “Awaz-e-Haq” in 2014 to defame him and his family. The defamatory material was posted by using the facebook IDs of Bacha Khan and Gul Samr Shah.

The team investigation the case raided the shop of the accused and confiscated his computer, hardware disc, cell phone and modem from there. The seized items were sent for forensic audit which confirmed the crime.

The court launched the proceedings into the case. A team of lawyers comprising of Shafiq Javed and Muhammad Tariq Shah Kakar represented the complainant while lawyer, Farooq Malik Mohyuddin appeared for the accused.

The defendant lawyer tried to link the case to Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak which failed to convince the court.

The accused was handed over to the Cybercrime Police of the FIA. He would be produced before the judge on Monday to request for obtaining his physical remand.

It may be mentioned here that the Peshawar High Court has already dismissed the first information report withdrawal petition filed by the accused.

The then additional District Judge of Nowshera, Zeba Rasheed, had also decided the defamation case in favour of Mushtaq Paracha who had sought Rs1,000,000 each in damages from Bacha Khan, Raheem Khan Raheem and Gul Samar Shah.