Arrested Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra knew that the Pakistani citizens she was constantly interacting with were officials associated with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s influential spy agency. The 33-year-old YouTuber, whose channel has almost 400,000 subscribers and is dedicated to traveling, has been arrested by the police on allegations of spying for Pakistan under India’s Official Secrets Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with threats to India’s sovereignty and unity, as reported by news agency NDTV.
Sources indicated Malhotra was directly in touch with at least four suspected Pakistani intelligence agents, Danish, Ahsan, Shahid, and another whose names have not been mentioned, whom she met individually. The investigators are trying to verify their roles within Pakistan’s diplomatic or intelligence circles.
Danish is said to have met Malhotra initially at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Digital equipment confiscated when she was arrested, her cell phone and laptop included, had significant portions of the content erased. But police managed to restore more than 12 terabytes of data, something that officials feel clearly indicates Malhotra’s awareness of the ISI status of her contacts.
“She was not afraid despite knowing she was speaking to ISI agents,” a top official said on condition of anonymity.
Malhotra’s lavish lifestyle, including recent trips to Pakistan and China, had already triggered red flags with officials. Her spending patterns and travel were said to be out of proportion with her known means of income, leading the police to consider using central agencies for an investigation into a potential foreign source funding or money laundering trail.
She was picked up on May 15, a week after India carried out airstrikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir as a response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26.
Adding mystery to the case was Malhotra, who was seen in Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore in March, accompanied by at least six armed men believed to be her own security team. A video shared by Scottish travel vlogger Callum Mill, also known online as Callum Abroad, captures Malhotra being escorted by men in plain clothes holding AK-47s. The security team wore jackets with the inscription “No Fear.”
In the video, Callum wondered at her heightened level of protection, uttering, “What’s the need for all the guns?” while tallying several guns surrounding her.
The investigators are now questioning who directed the security detail and how a foreign national was afforded such treatment, creating suspicions of Malhotra’s contacts within Pakistan’s establishment.
With the cache of recovered data and mounting evidence of her links, authorities say more charges can be filed pending the results of the forensic analysis. Haryana Police will be tasked with collaborating with national intelligence agencies to intensify the probe.
Malhotra is meanwhile behind bars, as investigators probe the extent of her contacts with foreign intelligence agents and the national security fallout.
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