Haryana YouTuber held on espionage charge

A Haryana-based YouTuber has been arrested on the charge of passing on sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence operatives, police said on 17 May, Saturday.

Jyoti Malhotra, who runs a YouTube channel, Travel with JO, and hails from Hisar in Haryana, was arrested from New Aggarsain Extension, they said.

She has been booked under the relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, said police.

She was sent to a five-day police remand after being produced before the court.

Jyoti, whose YouTube channel has 3.77 lakh subscribers, allegedly was in contact with a Pakistani staffer working at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. On 13 May, India had expelled that Pakistani official for allegedly indulging in espionage.

Earlier, two persons, including a woman, were arrested from Malerkotla by Punjab police for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to the Pakistani official posted at the High Commission.

In 2023, Jyoti came in contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish at the Pakistan High Commission where she went to seek a visa to visit the neighbouring nation, according to an FIR lodged at Civil Lines Police Station on 16 May.

Jyoti, who visited Pakistan twice, had met Danish's acquaintance Ali Ahwan who arranged her stay there, the FIR read.

Ahwan arranged Jyoti's meeting with Pakistani Security and Intelligence officials and met Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. She saved Shahbaz's mobile number as 'Jatt Randhawa' to avoid any suspicion.

She was in contact with these persons through WhatsApp, Telegram and Snapchat, and passed on sensitive information to them, according to the FIR.

She met Danish several times at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi and was found to be in touch with Pakistani Intelligence Operatives, it said.

Jyoti's arrest came a day after a 25-year-old post-graduation student, allegedly having links with Pakistani intelligence operatives, was arrested from Kaithal.

The accused, Devender Singh, from Kaithal district's Guhla area, was arrested after an FIR was registered against him on Sunday for uploading photos on social media with weapons, police said.

A few days ago, a 24-year-old youth, Nauman Ilahi, was arrested in Panipat district for allegedly supplying sensitive information to some individuals in Pakistan.