The North News
Chandigarh, June 9
A YouTuber, Jyoti Malhotra, arrested by Haryana Police on charges of espionage for Pakistan’s intelligence agency has been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody, officials confirmed. Jyoti, who appeared before Hisar court through video conferencing. Police allege that Malhotra, who reportedly had no significant source of income, made multiple visits to Pakistan in 2023, 2024 and earlier this year—before the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
Malhotra is accused of being in contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a former Pakistani High Commission official in Delhi who was expelled from India for espionage. Police says Danish, believed to be an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operative, lured her into a honey trap, offering financial and logistical support in return for intelligence.
“This is not an isolated case,” an intelligence official said. “Social media platforms are now being weaponised for espionage under the guise of content creation.”
In a parallel development, Punjab Police arrested Jasbir Singh, another YouTuber from Rupnagar district who runs the channel Jaan Mahal. Jasbir is believed to have shared close ties with Malhotra, with both individuals reportedly visiting several locations together. He was taken into custody by the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) in Mohali. According to Punjab Police, Jasbir maintained contact with multiple individuals allegedly linked to Pakistan-based espionage handlers, including a man identified as Shakir, alias Jutt Randhawa, described as a PIO embedded in a terror-linked network.
Investigators say he travelled to Pakistan on three occasions—in 2020, 2021, and 2024—and attended Pakistan’s National Day celebrations in Delhi, where he reportedly met senior Pakistani military officials and vloggers. His devices, now under forensic analysis, allegedly contain several Pakistani contacts.
Malhotra’s father has denied the allegations, claiming he was unaware of her trips to Pakistan or China, which she also reportedly visited without any clear explanation.
