Iqrar-ul-Hassan Taken Into Custody in Late-Night Lahore Raid, Family Alleges NCCIA Operation

Former television anchor and Awam Raj Tehreek chairman Iqrar-ul-Hassan was reportedly taken into custody from his residence in Lahore’s DHA Phase 8 area in the early hours of Monday, October 12, 2026. Family members allege that personnel linked to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) carried out a late-night raid at around 2:40 to 3 am, broke into the house, seized mobile phones, a laptop, and the CCTV recording equipment, and took him away. The agency has not formally confirmed the detention, and the reasons for it have not emerged.

What the Family Says Happened

According to statements by his family members, the household was asleep when loud shouting began outside the house in the middle of the night, with people demanding that Iqrar come out or they would break everything. His wife Farah Iqrar described how the personnel entered the house — accounts differ slightly between scaling the wall and breaking the main gate and doors — and forcibly took him into custody.

The family’s account, as reported by UrduPoint, paints a chaotic scene: a mobile phone and a laptop were taken from the house, the entire CCTV camera system was removed, and when family members tried to record the incident, their phones were snatched as well. Farah Iqrar said the badges worn by the female personnel present bore the name of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

MM News reported additional details from his first wife, Qurat-ul-Ain: between five and seven men and two women allegedly entered the house by force at around 2 AM and took Iqrar-ul-Hassan away in two vehicles. She claimed DHA security personnel were present at the time but did not intervene effectively, and that when the family called the police emergency helpline 15, officers arrived roughly an hour and a half later. She further claimed that when the family went to the police station to lodge a report, officials refused to register it — citing, remarkably, a lack of Wi-Fi connectivity.

These are the family’s allegations. None of them have been independently verified by an official source, and readers should keep that distinction in mind throughout this story.

What Remains Unconfirmed

Here is what makes this story unusual and, frankly, what makes it hard to report with full confidence:

• The agency has not confirmed the detention. The NCCIA has not issued any formal statement confirming that it took Iqrar-ul-Hassan into custody, and officials have avoided giving an official position. The family’s attempts to contact the local NCCIA police station reportedly yielded no information.
• The reasons are unknown. No official has stated why he was detained or whether any case has been registered against him. Social media speculation has linked the incident to his online activity and possible PECA proceedings — but the precise legal grounds have not been independently established.
• His whereabouts are unknown. His current location and legal status remain unclear. Television anchor Waseem Badami, who has worked with Iqrar-ul-Hassan on several programmes, confirmed in a video message that he had received reports of the arrest but that no verified information was available.

A person taken into custody with no confirmed charges, no confirmed location, and no agency willing to confirm the operation — that is the factual state of play right now. If that changes with an official statement, this article will be updated.

Who Is Iqrar-ul-Hassan?

Iqrar-ul-Hassan is one of Pakistan’s most recognisable television journalists. He spent around 21 years with ARY News, where he hosted the long-running investigative programme Sar-e-Aam — a show built on hidden-camera stings that regularly generated national headlines and, often, controversy.

In April 2026, he resigned from ARY News to pursue political ambitions, becoming chairman of the Pakistan Awam Raj Tehreek (Awam Raj Party). The move from anchor to party chief was one of the most talked-about media-politics crossovers of the year. His reporting style had always been confrontational — taking on everyone from corrupt officials to organised crime — and that same style followed him into politics.

His family has said he was asleep at home when the raid happened. His second wife, Farah Iqrar, posted a video describing the incident and expressing concern for his safety, calling for his immediate release. A separate video featuring his wife and other family members consoling one another has also circulated online.

Why This Case Is Drawing Attention

The detention of a well-known journalist and political party leader, carried out in the middle of the night, with the family describing broken doors, seized devices, and a damaged CCTV system, is bound to raise questions — regardless of who he is or what party he leads. The lack of any official confirmation only deepens those questions.

Pakistan’s journalism community has seen this pattern before: late-night detentions of media figures by cybercrime authorities under PECA, with details emerging slowly and often through family statements rather than official channels. Whether that is what is happening here is not yet established — but the questions being asked by fellow journalists like Waseem Badami are the obvious ones: where is he, on what grounds was he taken, and why has no agency said a word?

It is also worth noting that some voices on social media have dismissed the incident as staged drama — claims that are equally unverified and should be treated with the same caution as everything else in this story. Right now, the only confirmed facts are the family statements and the absence of an official response.

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TimelyUps will update this story if the NCCIA or any other authority issues an official statement, or if further verified details about his whereabouts emerge.