Jyoti Malhotra asked official to get her married in Pakistan: Report

YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was arrested last week after it was discovered that she had been in touch with a Pakistani intelligence officer.

Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who had been accused of spying for Pakistan, purportedly had a conversation with a Pakistani intelligence officer, asking them to arrange her marriage, reported NDTV.

Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan.(File)

Malhotra, who ran a YouTube channel called 'Travel with Jo', was arrested last week after it was discovered that she had been in touch with a Pakistani intelligence officer and allegedly shared information with him.

She later confessed to being in touch with the official named Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish. In a WhatsApp conversation, she allegedly told the Pakistani official, as quoted by NDTV, “Get me married in Pakistan.”

During the investigation, the police also found information regarding four bank accounts belonging to Malhotra, which had transactions marked to Dubai. The police stated that the amounts were more than her estimated income and that they were analysing the data.

Danish, who had been declared a persona non grata by India, introduced Malhotra to Ali Ahwan, who arranged for her accommodation and further meetings with Pakistani security officials Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. He had been allegedly “developing” her as an asset, HT reported.

Larger spy ring suspected

Jyoti Malhotra, who has over a lakh followers on Instagram, had visited Pakistan twice, during which he had come into contact an official at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.

The travel YouTuber was questioned by officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) regarding her suspected links to Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs).

Jyoti Malhotra was among 12 people who were arrested from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh over the past two weeks on charges of espionage. Officials are considering the possibility of a larger spy network in India

Police are preparing to present Malhotra before a local court on Wednesday, where they will seek an extension of her remand for continued interrogation.