'Spy' YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra denied bail, to remain in judicial custody
The Hisar court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of 33-year-old social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested last month on suspicion of espionage. The bail hearing was conducted before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Sunil Kumar, with Malhotra represented by advocate Kumar Mukesh.Opposing the plea, police informed the court that the investigation remains active and releasing the accused could compromise the probe. The court heard arguments from both sides and rejected the bail plea.advertisementEarlier, on June 9, the court had extended Malhotra's judicial custody and scheduled the next hearing for June 23. The YouTuber, who runs the channel "Travel with JO", appeared before the court via video conferencing.
Malhotra was arrested by Hisar Police on May 16 from the New Aggarsain Extension area under provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.Initially, she was sent to five days of police custody, which was later extended by four more days for further interrogation. On May 26, she was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.While police have not found evidence indicating she had access to classified military or defence information, investigators claim Malhotra was knowingly in contact with individuals associated with Pakistani intelligence.According to sources, Malhotra had been in regular communication since November 2023 with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission, who was expelled by India on May 13 over alleged espionage activities.Authorities believe Pakistani intelligence was attempting to groom Malhotra as an asset.With inputs from PTIMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#Haryana#Operation Sindoor
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