Two days after the arrest of Hisar-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra on espionage charges, Hisar Superintendent of Police (SP) Shashank Kumar Sawan confirmed that she was being groomed by Pakistani intelligence officials (PIOs) to become a long-term asset.
Frequent Foreign Trips Raised Red Flags
According to SP Sawan, Malhotra had made several trips to Pakistan, including one just before the terror attack in Pahalgam. She had also travelled to China. These movements became a concern for Indian security agencies.
At a press briefing, SP Sawan explained that central intelligence agencies had alerted Haryana Police that Pakistani intelligence was trying to recruit Indian social media influencers to push subtle propaganda. Malhotra, arrested last Friday, has been placed in five-day police custody for questioning.
Financial Trail and Blogger Cover Under Investigation
SP Sawan added, “She is being interrogated by the Haryana Police, in coordination with central agencies. We are analysing her financial transactions and travel history to determine the sources of her income. Her known income sources do not justify her foreign travel. We suspect external funding. On the surface, she was just a travel blogger.”
Malhotra had direct links with Pakistani officials, some of whom had already been declared persona non grata by India. Although she didn’t directly access sensitive defence data, her ongoing communications with PIOs during critical times in Indo-Pak relations were described as “alarming.”
Contact With High-Level Figures in Pakistan
During her trips to Pakistan, Malhotra reportedly met several influential people. “She had interacted with several high-profile individuals during her visits to Pakistan. Even though her arrest happened recently, intelligence agencies were already monitoring her activities closely,” SP Sawan said.
Police are also investigating her contacts in India, who may have introduced her to these operatives or helped organize her international travel. Authorities are now scanning her social media content for more clues.
‘Operation Sindoor’ Exposes Wider Espionage Network
Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur, speaking from Sirsa, said Malhotra’s arrest is part of a wider investigation named ‘Operation Sindoor’. He said several anti-national elements had been identified in different districts.
“As part of the probe, we are collecting concrete evidence to file a strong chargesheet and ensure the highest punishment. Intelligence agencies remain in continuous coordination with district police units,” said Kapur.
Odisha Police Steps In Over Puri Visit
News agency PTI reported that Odisha Police have also launched a probe after it was revealed that Malhotra had met a local YouTuber in Puri. SP Vinit Agrawal confirmed her visit in September 2024, during which she met a woman who had recently been to Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.
Asked if they exchanged intelligence during that meeting, SP Agrawal said, “The Haryana Police are leading the investigation, and we are cooperating fully.”
Spy Contacts, Encrypted Chats Revealed
Malhotra, 33, runs a popular YouTube travel channel called Travel with JO, which has over 3.77 lakh subscribers. She was arrested on May 16 from her home in New Aggarsain Extension, Hisar, and charged under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, along with Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
As per the FIR filed at the Hisar Civil Lines police station, she met a man named Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish at the Pakistan High Commission in 2023 while applying for a visa. Danish introduced her to another agent, Ali Ahwan, who helped arrange her stay in Pakistan and meetings with two Pakistani intelligence officials—Shakir and Rana Shahbaz.
“She saved Shakir’s contact as ‘Jatt Randhawa’ to avoid suspicion,” the FIR stated. After returning to India, she continued communicating with them using encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat.
She also met Danish multiple times at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Authorities believe she was part of a wider network operating across Haryana and Punjab that included informants, handlers, and agents.
On May 13, the Indian government declared Danish a “persona non grata” and expelled him within 24 hours for activities that went against his diplomatic role.
Two days before that, Punjab Police arrested two people in Malerkotla, including a woman, in a case linked to Danish’s espionage network.
Family Rejects Allegations, Other Arrests Follow
Malhotra’s father has strongly denied the charges, claiming it’s a conspiracy to tarnish their family’s reputation.
Her arrest came just one day after Devender Singh, a 25-year-old postgraduate student from Kaithal, was detained for alleged ties to Pakistani operatives. Earlier, 24-year-old Nauman Ilahi was also arrested in Panipat for similar accusations.
