E-Paper
YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's father now claims he was unaware of her Pakistan visits: 'She said she was going to Delhi'
The statement comes after Harish Malhotra claimed that Jyoti Malhotra had made YouTube videos and had visited Pakistan.
YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's father, Harish Malhotra, has said he was completely unaware of her Pakistan trips. He added that Jyoti Malhotra would tell him she was going to Delhi, but never mentioned anything about visiting Pakistan.
Jyoti was arrested under the Official Secrets Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), with police claiming to have found "suspicious" content on Jyoti Malhotra's mobile phone and laptop.
The fresh statement on Monday comes a day after Harish Malhotra claimed that his daughter, who was arrested by Haryana Police on charges of spying, had made YouTube videos and had visited Pakistan. He demanded the return of the phones taken by the police.
Also Read | ‘If she has friends there, can’t she call them?': Father of ‘Pakistani spy’ YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra
He said police first came to their house on Thursday. He said police have taken their bank documents, phone, laptop, and passport. He said his daughter used to visit Delhi and had been in Hisar for the last four-five days.
“I didn't know, she had told me that she was going to Delhi. She never told me anything. None of her friends visited our home... Yesterday, the Police brought her here, she took her clothes and left, she did not say anything to me... I don't know what to say... She used to make videos at home... I never said that she visited Pakistan, she used to tell me that she was going to Delhi... I have no demands, whatever is going to happen, will happen,” Harish Malhotra told news agency ANI.
Also Read | YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, 11 others arrested so far in Pakistan ‘spy’ probe | What we know
According to authorities, Jyoti visited the Pakistan high commission in Delhi in 2023 to apply for a visa. During this visit, she reportedly came in contact with a man identified as Ahsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, who was working at the mission. Investigators allege that she stayed in touch with him, made two trips to Pakistan, and met individuals linked to Pakistani security and intelligence agencies.
Her father, however, claimed that her visits abroad were related to her YouTube work. “Before lockdown (Covid), she used to work in Delhi... I haven't seen her (YouTube) videos as I own a small phone... I have nothing to say. I am myself upset and unwell for the last 3 days,” he said.
Harish Malhotra had earlier told ANI that his daughter made videos in Pakistan for her channel and had obtained all required permissions for travel.
“She made YouTube videos. She used to visit Pakistan and other places... if she has some friends there, can't she call them?” he said, adding that police had taken their mobile phones, passports, and bank documents.
Hisar superintendent of police (SP) Shashank Kumar Sawan on Sunday said that Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs) were grooming her to become an asset.
He revealed that Jyoti had visited Pakistan several times, including a trip before the Pahalgam terror attack, and had also travelled to China.
Addressing a press conference, SP Sawan said central agencies had informed the Haryana Police that PIOs were actively recruiting social media influencers to promote soft narratives. Jyoti has been remanded to police custody for five days.
“She is being interrogated by the Haryana Police, in coordination with central agencies. We are analysing her financial transactions and travel history to determine the sources of her income,” said SP Sawan. “Her known income sources do not justify her foreign travel. We suspect external funding. On the surface, she was just a travel blogger,” he added.
The SP confirmed that Jyoti was in direct contact with PIOs, including individuals declared persona non grata by India. While she did not have direct access to sensitive defence information, her communication with PIOs during periods of heightened tension between India and Pakistan was “alarming.”
