How vlogger Jyoti Malhotra got into Pakistan spy network by Ehsan-ur-Rahim

CHANDIGARH: Haryana police anti-espionage wing arrested a Hisar-based woman travel vlogger, Jyoti Malhotra on charges of spying and passing sensitive information to Pakistan. This is the third such arrest by Haryana police this week. The vlogger’s arrest came days after Punjab Police arrested two persons, including a woman, from Malerkotla district for their involvement in espionage activities linked to a Pakistani official who was posted at that country’s high commission in New Delhi. India has already expelled the Pakistan high commission staffer for his involvement in espionage. DSP Kamaljit Singh, the supervising officer of the investigation, confirmed the arrest of Jyoti Malhotra (34), on Saturday and added that the court had ordered a five-day police remand for her. A case under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act and Section 153 of Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) has been registered against her at Civil Lines police station in Hisar. Daughter of a retired official of Haryana power discom, Jyoti is a graduate and has a YouTube channel with 3.21 lakh followers along with Instagram with 13.4 lakh followers, Facebook and Snapchat accounts. Besides sharing sensitive information about Indian locations, Jyoti was tasked by her handlers to promote positive information and details about Pakistan on Indian social media platforms through her social media accounts.Police said Jyoti maintained encrypted contact with Pakistani intel operatives on platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat, saving their numbers under false names such as “Jatt Randhawa”. Jyoti mostly lived in New Delhi. Though her parental home is in Hisar, Jyoti mostly lived in New Delhi and was in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, who was expelled from India on May 13.Jyoti first met him when she visited the Pakistan high commission in 2023 and Danish helped her with extension of her visa and also arranged her homestay while introducing her to multiple Pakistani intelligence operatives, including two identified as Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. DSP Kamaljit Singh claimed Jyoti had confessed to the crime and elaborated in detail about her visit to Pakistan and interactions with Pakistani intelligence operatives. Her mobile phone, laptop, and other electronic gadgets have been sent for cyber forensic analysis and her bank details have been ascertained to check money trail, if any, the police added on Saturday. Jyoti saved numbers of cluding twice in 2023, and she displayed content on her travel vlog, “Travel with Joe.” The police investigation also revealed that she had an intimate relationship with a Pakistani intelligence operative and travelled to Bali in Indonesia with him