Haryana court extends content creator Jyoti Malhotra's police remand by four days in espionage case

Hisar: A court here on Thursday extended the police remand of content creator and social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra by four days, a police spokesperson said. The 33-year-old YouTuber -- arrested on suspicion of espionage -- was produced before the court at the end of her five-day police remand. Malhotra was among the 12 people arrested from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh over the past two weeks on suspicion of espionage, with investigators suspecting the presence of a Pakistan-linked spy network operating in north India. The Hisar native ran a YouTube channel "Travel with JO". She was arrested at the New Aggarsain Extension last week and booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Hisar police said on Wednesday that no evidence had emerged to indicate Malhotra had access to any military- or defence-related information. But she was definitely in contact with some people, knowing that they were Pakistani intelligence operatives, they had said. Police sources had said she was in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission, since November 2023. India expelled Danish on May 13 for allegedly indulging in espionage. The police have sent Malhotra's three mobile phones and a laptop for forensic examination. Malhotra's four bank accounts are also being analysed. The National Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau, and military intelligence officials have also questioned Malhotra. Investigations have revealed that she visited Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and some other countries. The police had said Pakistani intelligence operatives were developing Malhotra as an asset. She was also allegedly in touch with Danish during the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan that followed the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, they had said.