Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra Remanded In 4 Days Of Police Custody
A court in Haryana has sent YouTuber Jyot Malhotra to four days of police custody over charges of sharing sensitive information with a Pakistani national, allegedly linked to Pakistani intelligence.
The District Court, Hisar issued the remand order following her arrest for being in continuous contact with the Pakistani individual, reported news agency ANI.
The 33-year-old YouTube was produced before the court at the end of her five-day police remand.
She 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.
Jyoti, a native of Hisar who ran a YouTube channel "Travel with JO", was arrested at the New Aggarsain Extension last week and booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
On Wednesday, Hisar police said no evidence has emerged to indicate Malhotra had access to any military- or defence-related information. However, they said that she was "definitely in contact with some people, knowing that they were Pakistani intelligence operatives."
According to reports, the YouTuber has been in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission, since November 2023. He was expelled by India on May 13 for allegedly indulging in espionage.
Malhotra's three mobile phones and a laptop have been sent by the police for forensic examination and her four bank accounts are also being analysed.
The YouTuber has been questioned by the National Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau, and military intelligence officials. Probes have revealed that she visited Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and some other countries.
According to the police, she was being developed as an asset by Pakistani intelligence operatives. It has been alleged the Jyoti was in touch with Danish during the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan that followed the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
india