The Federal Investigation Agency has arrested six personnel of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on allegations of misusing their authority and taking bribes, their lawyer said on Monday.

Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq told Dawn.com the six were “taken into FIA custody and arrested on charges of misuse of authority and bribery”.

He said they would be produced in a district court on Tuesday and he would represent them.

Ashfaq said the six were Additional Director Chaudhry Sarfraz, In-charge Zawar, Sub-Inspector Ali Raza, Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz, Yasir Gujjar and Mujtaba Kamran.

Chaudhry was reportedly removed over different controversies last month and asked to report to the NCCIA headquarters, Islamabad. He said he was transferred to the headquarters and he had sought a six-month leave.

The three controversies were about laying hands on a number of YouTubers/social media influencers, including Saadur Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai and Rajab Butt, for their alleged involvement in unregulated online trading and online gambling apps.

The other was the registration of a case against some lawyers who allegedly tried to get a suspect released from the NCCIA. The third controversy related to a tiff between a group of Lahore’s journalists and a serving deputy inspector general of police and some other police officials, as the former moved the NCCIA to act against the latter. According to an official, Chaudhry was transferred in light of different complaints against him.

On Friday, the Islamabad High Court had granted the police one more week to trace missing NCCIA Deputy Director Muhammad Usman, who has been missing for several days. The development came during the hearing of a petition filed by Rozina Usman for the recovery of her husband. She alleged that four armed individuals abducted her husband on October 14.

The court was also informed that the petitioner had herself gone missing after initiating the case. The development had prompted the court to seek an updated report from the police on both disappearances.