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YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, 11 others arrested so far in Pakistan ‘spy’ probe | What we know
Officials said the arrests were made in wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor.
At least 12 people, including a Haryana-based YouTuber and a local quack, are among those arrested by Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh police over the last two weeks for allegedly being a part of Pakistan's spy operations.
Apart from YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, the accused also include a factory worker and a post-graduate student.
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What we know so far
• Two women ‘spies’ and one Pakistani official: YouTuber from Haryana Jyoti Malhotra and 31-year-old Guzala from Punjab were allegedly in touch with Pakistani officer Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
• Jyoti Malhotra - She came in contact with Danish, a Pakistani official, during a visit to the Pakistan High Commission seeking a visa to visit the neighbouring nation. She was in touch with PIOs, and visited Pakistan “multiple times” and China once. Danish is the same official who was declared persona non grata by India.
Jyoti Malhotra was allegedly in touch with Pakistani officials during the recent military conflict. Currently under police custody, her financial transactions and travel details are under scanner. Officials suspect that Malhotra was being cultivated as an “asset” for future spy operations.
• Guzala - She allegedly confessed to sharing details on the Indian Army's activities with Pakistani officials in Delhi for money. Police said that Danish had sent her ₹30,000 in two transactions – ₹10,000 and ₹20,000 – via UPI (unified payment interface), according to PTI news agency.
• Shahzad from UP's Rampur: He was arrested by Moradabad Special Task Force on Sunday for alleged involvement in cross-border smuggling and passing sensitive national security related information to his Pakistani handlers by travelling to the neighbouring country several times.
• Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih from Punjab - Both hail from Amritsar's Ajnala. They allegedly passed sensitive information and photographs of army cantonment areas and air bases in the border district to ISI, Pakistan's spy agency.
They also informed their handlers about the army's movements, location of BSF camps, airports and their photographs along with other sensitive information, PTI reported.
• Yameen Mohamad from Malerkotla, Punjab - He allegedly received online payments from Pakistan for sharing sensitive information.
• Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh from Gurdaspur, Punjab - Police recovered three mobile phones and eight live cartridges of .30 bore from their possession, PTI said. During Operation Sindoor, the duo allegedly informed Pakistan about troop movements and details of key strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. They were previously involved in drug smuggling activities.
• Nauman Ilahi from Haryana's Panipat - A native of UP's Kairana, he was arrested by state police for allegedly supplying sensitive information to some individuals in Pakistan. He was working as a factory security guard and was living with his sister and brother-in-law in Panipat's Hali Colony.
• Devender Singh from Haryana's Kaithal - A 25-year-old post-graduate student, he was arrested for allegedly uploading photos on social media with weapons. Singh came in contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives last year during a pilgrimage and remained in touch with them. He allegedly sent photos of the Patiala cantonment by clicking pictures from outside.
• Armaan from Haryana's Nuh - He allegedly shared information related to the Indian Army and other military activities with Pakistan through an employee posted at the High Commission of Pakistan in Delhi. The accused is suspected to have shared such information for a long time through WhatsApp and social media platforms.
• Mohammad Tarif from Haryana's Nuh - Tarif is accused of leaking intelligence information on military activities to Pakistan. He allegedly confessed to have visited Pakistan and giving a SIM card to – Asif Baloch and Zafar – employees at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.
Officials said the arrests were made in wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor. “This is also (a kind of) warfare, in which they (Pakistan) try to push their narrative by recruiting influencers,” said Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan.
All the accused are suspected to be passing sensitive information to Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) and a detailed probe is underway into their financial transactions and digital trail of their electronic devices.
