YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra Had Links With Pakistani Operatives, No Terror Involvement Found: Hisar Police

Police stated Wednesday that Jyoti Malhotra, a YouTuber from Hisar who was arrested on espionage charges, had intentionally communicated with Pakistani intelligence agents (PIOs). Investigators made it clear, nevertheless, that there is currently no proof linking her to any terrorist activity or affiliation with known terror organisations.

The Hisar Superintendent of Police claims that Malhotra kept in touch with several of her contacts despite knowing they were PIOs. Authorities discovered no proof that she was familiar with India's military tactics or armed forces.

"We haven't found any proof that she has ties to terrorist groups or participated in terrorist actions. Additionally, there are no records indicating that she planned to change to another faith or marry a PIO," the SP continued.

In addition to two phones taken from Harkirat Singh, a visa agent detained earlier on May 18, police have now seized three cell phones, a laptop, and other electronic equipment that belonged to Malhotra. Hisar police are not performing the technical assessment themselves, but all gadgets have been sent for forensic analysis.

Malhotra was detained by the police for five days while being questioned by central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Nevertheless, no central authority received custody. The SP went on to explain that Hisar police had not confiscated the alleged "diary" pages that were in the public domain. He declared, "We did not recover any such diary."

On May 16, the 33-year-old travel blogger was taken into custody on suspicion of disclosing private information to Pakistani handlers. Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act and Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, are the charges against her.

Hisar police spokesperson Vikas Kumar had earlier disclosed that Malhotra had been in contact with Danish, a Pakistani High Commission official who was expelled from India on May 13. The communication reportedly took place from November 2023 to March 2025. "Danish was trying to develop her as an asset and she was also in contact with other YouTube influencers," Kumar said.

Malhotra reportedly met Danish through Singh at the Pakistan High Commission while applying for a visa to visit Pakistan, according to Kumar.