A local court in Islamabad has granted pre-arrest bail to two brothers involved in a major online crypto scam. The suspects, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, face allegations of defrauding an Islamabad resident out of USD 37,000.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) recently registered a First Information Report (FIR) against them. Consequently, the brothers approached the District and Sessions Court to avoid immediate arrest.
Yesterday, on April 28, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka approved their bail plea. The court directed both suspects to submit surety bonds of Rs. 20,000 each. Furthermore, the judge extended their pre-arrest bail until May 5, 2026.
The $37,000 Crypto Scam
According to the FIR, the accused reside in Fort Abbas, District Bahawalnagar. They allegedly impersonated online cryptocurrency traders. To execute the scam, they contacted the complainant, Hasaan Mohsin, using a foreign WhatsApp number.
Next, the suspects promised massive returns on digital investments. They convinced Mohsin to transfer funds into specific BNB and Binance digital wallets. However, they never delivered the promised profits. Furthermore, they failed to return the initial USD 37,000 capital.
The NCCIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre launched an initial enquiry in 2024. Investigators ultimately linked the bank transactions and the foreign WhatsApp number directly to the suspects. Therefore, authorities charged them under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 and the Pakistan Penal Code.
Defense Claims Complete Innocence
Meanwhile, the defense strongly denies all allegations. Advocate Abdur Rehman Babar represented the brothers during the hearing. He argued that the FIR is entirely fabricated, baseless, and built on misidentification.
The defense claims the brothers have absolutely no connection to the foreign WhatsApp number. Moreover, they deny owning or operating the mentioned crypto wallets. Both brothers maintain that they are law-abiding citizens. Additionally, they expressed their complete willingness to cooperate with the investigating agency.
The court will resume the hearing on May 5. In the meantime, the judge has ordered the NCCIA to present the complete case record at the next proceeding.
