A court in Hisar on Thursday extended the police remand of Jyoti Malhotra, a content creator and social media influencer, by four more days, a police spokesperson confirmed. The 33-year-old YouTuber, arrested on espionage charges, was produced before the court after completing her initial five-day remand.
Malhotra was one of 12 individuals arrested across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh over the last two weeks in connection with an alleged espionage network suspected to be linked to Pakistan operating in northern India.
A native of Hisar, Malhotra managed the YouTube channel "Travel with JO." She was detained last week at New Aggarsain Extension and charged under the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police officials stated on Wednesday that no evidence has yet emerged showing that Malhotra had access to any military or defense-related information. However, she was reportedly in contact with certain individuals, fully aware that they were operatives of Pakistani intelligence.
Investigations revealed that Malhotra had been in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, who was employed at the Pakistani High Commission, since November 2023. India expelled Danish on May 13 for alleged espionage activities.
Authorities have sent Malhotra’s three mobile phones and a laptop for forensic analysis, while her four bank accounts are also under scrutiny. Malhotra has been interrogated by officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and military intelligence.
Further investigations indicate that she had traveled to Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and other countries. Police allege that Pakistani intelligence operatives were attempting to cultivate her as an asset.
Additionally, Malhotra was reportedly in contact with Danish during the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
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