Pahalgam terror attack: Suspected Pak 'spy' Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's Instagram account down

The Instagram account of popular YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra has been removed amid probe against her for allegedly spying for Pakistan. The popular YouTuber from Haryana was arrested on Sunday under espionage charges.

 

Malhotra's Instagram account, 'Travelwithjo1' has been removed from the social media platform. Users trying to visit the account are greeted with the message: "Sorry, this page isn't available. The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed."

 

The development comes amid a probe over her alleged connections with Pakistani defence and intelligence officials. According to Haryana police, the Pakistani intelligence operatives were developing Malhotra as an asset.

 

Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan on Sunday said Malhotra was allegedly in direct contact with a Pakistani officer posted at the country's embassy in New Delhi during the Pahalgam terror attack. The Pakistani officer she was in touch with was declared Persona Non Grata, officials said.

 

According to police, though Malhotra did not have any direct access to information regarding military or defence operations, she was directly in touch with PIOs.  "Certainly, they were developing her as an asset. She was in touch with other YouTube influencers. They were also in touch with PIOs," PTI reported, quoting Sawan. According to police, Pakistan was trying to push their narrative by recruiting social media influencers. 

 

She has been booked under relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Malhotra was remanded to five-day police custody after being produced before the court on Saturday.

 

Malhotra's YouTube channel and Instagram account have 3.77 lakh subscribers and 1.33 lakh followers respectively. Cyber experts are reportedly checking her devices, and a team of financial experts are verifying her travel details. According to police, Malhotra visited Kashmir and Pakistan ahead of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

India