Subhechcha Ganguly 
YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, recently arrested on charges of espionage, is under intense scrutiny from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and other central agencies over her alleged links to Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs), according to officials familiar with the matter. Authorities are particularly examining her foreign visits to Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and Dubai, amid a wider probe into a suspected espionage network.
Malhotra, a 33-year-old resident of Hisar, Haryana, who commands a following of over 377,000 subscribers on YouTube and 133,000 followers on Instagram, is one of 14 individuals arrested in multiple northern Indian states over the past two weeks in connection with alleged spying activities. Four of these arrests occurred in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours alone.
“The NIA team was here to interrogate the accused,” confirmed Hisar superintendent of police Shashank Kumar Sawan, while the NIA has refrained from commenting officially. Another senior officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that besides the NIA, Malhotra was also questioned by IB and other central intelligence agencies.
Preliminary investigations reveal that Malhotra procured her passport in 2018 and has since traveled to Pakistan, China, Dubai, Thailand, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Indonesia. Authorities are focusing on her visits to Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and Dubai as they gather further intelligence.
Sources claim that during her visit to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi in 2023 to obtain a visa, Malhotra came in contact with Pakistani officer Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, who has since been declared persona non grata by India. Danish allegedly introduced her to operatives including Ali Ahwan, Shakir, and Rana Shahbaz, with accommodations and meetings arranged in Pakistan. According to the FIR, Malhotra saved Shakir’s number under the alias “Jatt Randhawa” to avoid suspicion.
After returning to India, she reportedly maintained communication with the operatives through encrypted messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat, and continued meeting Danish at the Pakistan High Commission.
Hisar SP Sawan earlier stated that Pakistani operatives were grooming Malhotra to become an intelligence asset. Her visit to Pakistan prior to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and her frequent trips to China have also raised red flags for investigators.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) may consider transferring the case to the NIA for a broader investigation into an alleged espionage ring using Indian influencers and YouTubers to gather sensitive information and disseminate propaganda. While Malhotra’s exact access to classified Indian defense or strategic data remains unclear, officials believe she was part of a larger network spanning Haryana and Punjab, involving agents, informants, and financial handlers.
