The court extended the police custody of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra by four more days, who is arrested on charges of alleged spying for Pakistan. The police are investigating her visits to Pakistan and financial transactions.
A local court in Haryana’s Hisar district on Thursday extended the police custody of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra for four more days. Jyoti Malhotra was arrested from New Aggarwal Extension area of ​​Hisar on May 17 on charges of alleged spying for Pakistan. After completion of the five-day remand period, Jyoti was produced in Hisar court today, where the police sought extension of her custody period. The court accepted the police’s demand and extended Jyoti’s custody till May 26.
What is the whole matter?
Jyoti Malhotra, 33, is known for her YouTube channel ‘Travel with Joe’. She is accused of spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency (ISI) and sharing sensitive information. Jyoti has more than 3.77 lakh subscribers on her YouTube channel and 1.31 lakh followers on Instagram. According to the police, Jyoti went to the Pakistan High Commission in 2023 for a visa, where she met a Pakistani official Danish alias Ehsan-ur-Rahim. After this, she allegedly established contact with other Pakistani officials, such as Ali Ahwaan, Shakir and Rana Shahbaz, through Danish.
Hisar police spokesperson Vikas Kumar said Jyoti has been booked under sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, as well as section 152 of the Indian Justice Code (acts threatening the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the nation). Police have seized three mobile phones, a laptop, bank documents and passport from her house, which have been sent for forensic analysis.
Investigations and inquiries
Jyoti Malhotra is being questioned by a joint team of Hisar Police, National Investigation Agency (NIA), and Intelligence Bureau (IB). According to police sources, Jyoti has admitted in interrogation that she visited Pakistan twice in 2023 and there she met Danish’s acquaintance Ali Ahwaan, who arranged for her stay and travel. However, Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan clarified that no evidence has been found so far to suggest that Jyoti shared defense or strategic information. Also, no evidence has been found of her being associated with any terrorist organization.
Police statement and denial of rumours
Hisar police on Wednesday issued an official statement refuting several social media rumours. Police said that there is no concrete evidence to support claims of Jyoti converting to Islam or marrying a Pakistani officer. A WhatsApp chat had surfaced of Jyoti telling Danish to “marry me in Pakistan”, but police termed it out of context and said that the claim has not been confirmed. Moreover, police also clarified that some pages of Jyoti’s diary which are going viral on social media are not in their possession.
Financial transactions and travel investigations
The police are investigating Jyoti’s four bank accounts to find out from where the money was coming into her accounts. Records of her visits to Pakistan, China and other countries are also being examined. The police suspect that Jyoti was being groomed as an “asset” for future espionage activities. Besides, Harkirat, a man from Kurukshetra who provided visa services, is also being questioned, though he has not been arrested yet.
