Haryana YouTuber had been in touch with Pakistani staffer since 2023: Police
Chandigarh: Jailed YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra had been in contact with a Pakistani officer since 2023, police revealed on Wednesday.
Malhotra, behind bars on suspicion of espionage, had been in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, the Pakistani staffer at the Pakistani High Commission, since November 2023, a source said.
Danish was expelled by India on May 13 for allegedly indulging in espionage.
Police have sent Malhotra's three mobile phones and a laptop for forensic examination, the person said.
The National Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau, and military intelligence officials have questioned Jyoti.
So far, it's been revealed that she had visited Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and some other countries.
The 33-year-old Hisar native ran a YouTube channel 'Travel with JO' and was arrested from the New Aggarsain Extension last week.
She was booked under sections of the Official Secrets Act and the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, police said.
Malhotra is among 12 people who have been arrested from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh over the past two weeks on charges of espionage, with investigators suspecting the presence of a Pakistan-linked spy network operating in north India.
Police had earlier said Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs) 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, police said.
Malhotra, whose YouTube channel has at present 3.87 lakh subscribers, came in contact with Danish at the Pakistan High Commission in 2023, when she went there seeking a visa.
According to investigations, PIOs were trying to recruit some social media influencers in India to push their narrative.
Meanwhile, Hisar police on Wednesday said they had seized three mobile phones, a laptop and some other electronic devices from Malhotra.
A resident of Kurukshetra, who provides visa consultancy services, was also recently questioned by police in connection with the investigation. Police said they seized two mobile phones from him.
