Jyoti Malhotra Questioned By IB, NIA Over Alleged ISI Links; Pakistan, China Trips Under Scanner

Officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) have questioned YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on charges of espionage, regarding her alleged links with Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), sources familiar with the investigation said on Monday.

As per a Hindustan Times report, authorities are also scrutinising her recent travels to Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and Dubai.

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To date, 14 individuals have been arrested across several northern Indian states over the past fortnight, including four in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh within the last 24 hours, for allegedly sharing sensitive information with Pakistani operatives.

"NIA officers came to interrogate the accused (Jyoti Malhotra)," confirmed Hisar Superintendent of Police (SP) Shashank Kumar Sawan. The NIA has yet to issue a statement.

Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Malhotra had also been questioned by IB and other central intelligence agencies.

"We've discovered she obtained her passport in 2018, valid until 2028, and has travelled to countries including Pakistan, China, Dubai, Thailand, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Indonesia. We are particularly reviewing her visits to Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and Dubai," the officer added.

A second officer said, "The Ministry of Home Affairs may consider handing the case to the federal anti-terror agency (NIA) to investigate a broader conspiracy involving Pakistan High Commission officials in Delhi and PIOs using Indian influencers and YouTubers for propaganda and intelligence gathering."

On Sunday, SP Sawan alleged that Pakistani operatives had been grooming Malhotra to become an intelligence asset. He said she had visited Pakistan multiple times, including shortly before the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, and had also travelled to China.

Malhotra, a 33-year-old resident of Hisar, Haryana, operates a YouTube channel and Instagram account with 377,000 subscribers and 133,000 followers respectively. She allegedly contacted Pakistani officer Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, stationed at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023 when applying for a visa.

Danish, who has now been declared persona non grata by India, reportedly introduced her to Ali Ahwan, who arranged accommodation and further meetings with Pakistani intelligence officials Shakir and Rana Shahbaz.

"She saved Shakir's contact as 'Jatt Randhawa' to avoid raising suspicion," states the FIR.

Upon her return to India, Malhotra allegedly maintained communication with these operatives through encrypted platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. She is said to have met Danish multiple times at the Pakistan High Commission.

The FIR indicates she was part of a wider espionage network operating across Haryana and Punjab, involving agents, informants, and financial facilitators.

It remains unclear whether she had access to any sensitive military or strategic information.

Meanwhile, four additional individuals were arrested on Monday in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh for allegedly passing sensitive information to Pakistani operatives.

This brings the total number of arrests to 14 - eight in Punjab, five in Haryana, and one in Uttar Pradesh - as part of a counter-espionage operation following the Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor on May 7 targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK.

Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh, both from Gurdaspur, were detained on Monday for allegedly providing sensitive military information to the ISI. Authorities recovered three mobile phones and eight live cartridges of .30 bore calibre from them.

"On May 15, intelligence reports revealed Sukhpreet and Karanbir were sharing classified information about Operation Sindoor, including troop movements and strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, with the ISI. They were placed under surveillance and arrested," Yadav said.

In Haryana, Mohammad Tarif, a resident of Kangarka village in Nuh district, was arrested in a joint operation between local police and central agencies. Tarif, a self-proclaimed local healer, allegedly provided intelligence on military activities to Pakistan and has reportedly confessed to handing over a SIM card to a Pakistan High Commission employee and visiting Pakistan himself.

Additionally, Uttar Pradesh's Special Task Force apprehended an alleged ISI agent from Rampur on Sunday night. Shahzad Wahab, 35, is accused of recruiting 20 individuals - including three women - to spy for Pakistan and supplying them with funds as instructed by his ISI handlers abroad.

In Odisha, police have launched an investigation into a YouTuber from Puri, 21-year-old Priyanka Senapati, over suspected links with Malhotra. Officials noted, however, that they have not yet found anything suspicious.