‘Spy' Jyoti Malhotra admits to have been in contact with Pakistani embassy official, say cops
YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan during the India-Pakistan conflict, has admitted during interrogation that she had been in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a Pakistani national and official at the High Commission, from November 2023 to March 2025, a Hisar Police spokesperson said on Tuesday.
According to a Hindustan Times report, authorities believe that Danish was actively working to develop Malhotra as an intelligence asset.
"She confessed to her direct communication with Danish during this period," Hisar Police spokesperson Vikas Kumar stated. 'She was also in contact with several other YouTube influencers. Her three mobile phones and laptop, along with two phones belonging to Harkirat Singh, the IT in-charge of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), have been sent for forensic examination,' the HT report quoted Kumar as saying.
Citing sources, the report said that Jyoti was questioned extensively by officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) regarding her suspected links to Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs).
A senior Hisar police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told HT, 'She has multiple bank accounts, and there have been numerous transactions. Analysing the financial data will take time.'
Jyoti also shared details regarding blackouts imposed by the Centre during the India-Pakistan conflict, a News18 report said, citing sources.
Jyoti, a resident of Hisar, Haryana, was first introduced to Pakistani embassy official Danish by Harkirat Singh, a CNN-News18 report said.
Singh allegedly helped her twice to get a visa and sent her along with a group of Sikhs to Pakistan. Indian Sikhs regularly travel as part of a jatha to gurdwaras like Nankana Sahib for pilgrimage purposes. Officials said his digital devices, like mobile phones, have been seized and sent for forensic testing.
The report said that while she was in touch with several Pakistani nationals since 2023, when she first visited Pakistan, Danish appeared to be her primary contact.
Jyoti also told cops that she had saved the number of a Pakistani agent, Shakir, as Jat Randhawa to avoid detection. Other Pakistani contacts like Ali Ahwan helped her with security cover while she was in Pakistan. She was also introduced to several intelligence officials during her visits to Pakistan, the report said.
Jyoti was among 12 people who were arrested from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh over the past two weeks on charges of espionage, with investigators pointing at an alleged Pakistan-linked spy network operating in north India.
An operation was underway to find if more people were involved in espionage against India and several YouTube channels were under scrutiny, a top Haryana official said on Tuesday.
According to news agency PTI, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Sumita Misra said several YouTube channels were being scrutinised and pointed out that several channels keep popping up on the online video-sharing platform under new names. A watch is being kept on anyone spreading misinformation or propaganda through social media, she said.
"Strict action will be taken against any objectional link," the officer said, adding that "it is an unfolding situation and many things may emerge (as investigations progress)".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
16 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Elusive global unity against terrorism
The 'Operation Sindoor' has shown us how deeply fragmented the fight against terror has become. There is a widely held conviction among all major powers that Pakistan is indeed harbouring terrorists and terror groups on its soil and using them as strategic assets against India, just as it had once used the earlier avatar of Taliban. They do not need more convincing. However, while there was widespread condemnation of the terror attack in Pahalgam, no country has called out Pakistan or even asked it to cooperate with apprehending the perpetrators. This is where facts diverge from reality. Before 'Operation Sindoor' was launched, all that the European Union (EU) did was to call the 'rising tensions between India and Pakistan' 'alarming' and advise India that 'escalation helps no one.' It was obvious that rather than taking a stand of zero tolerance to the menace, the EU continued to see terror attacks through a politically frosted glass – the frost that set in due to India's stand on the Ukraine war. The EU, which was peeved over India's abstentions on the UN votes on Ukraine, saw this as an opportunity to pay back in the same coin. However, what they have conveniently forgotten is that when China aggressed our borders in Galwan, all the European Council President could say in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was: 'The relationship between the EU and China is complex. We need to tackle different issues and support all the efforts to maintain a channel of dialogue to find peaceful solutions.' Thank you, EU, for this candid admission.. In fact, when an important member of the EU called India in February 2021 to express its indignation at India's stand in the UN Security Council on the Ukraine vote, India asked them politely to send us a copy of their statement issued when the Galwan clashes happened. There was silence at the other end, since it had issued none. Sometimes it is easy for the EU to forget that international relations did not start with the Ukraine war. The United States have, however, been more forthright on terrorism, though all their actions have to meet the touchstone of domestic acclaim in the US. President Donald Trump's administration has jettisoned the narrow internal focus of Joe Biden's administration on REMVE, or racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism. The recent post of FBI Director Kash Patel on X, calling out a 'Pakistani citizen' being extradited to the US for 'support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism', signalled a robust anti-terror policy. The extradition of 26/11 plotter Tahawwur Rana from the US to India is a welcome development. However, the US has also found a sudden bonhomie with Pakistan, calling them 'a phenomenal partner' in combating terror. Consequently, while pursuing zero tolerance to terror, the US does not discriminate between whom it is willing to work with as long as its ends are met. This explains its embrace of former Al-Qaeda leader and current President of Syria, Al Shaara, and a separate deal with the Houthis for stopping attacks on American shipping. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on the other hand, are now focusing narrowly on terror since the main ambition of most of its members, especially of the Gulf countries, is to break the shackles of their history of support to Islamic radicalism, spawning terrorists and terror groups around the world. Their desire for regional stability and integration with the 'outside' world has made them lukewarm to the Palestine issue and developments in Gaza, the West Bank and the Middle East. India should not expect much from them vis-a-vis Pakistan's terrorist misadventures either. The Saudi minister's shuttle diplomacy immediately after the Pahalgam attack was similar to the one it undertook after the Pulwama attack, ironically by the same minister, and yielded the same results – nothing. The litmus test will come next month when Pakistan takes over the presidency of the UN Security Council. We will see how the OIC countries in the Council – and there are five of them – treat the issue of terrorism and whether they will use Islamophobia to dilute the fight against terror. How the US and the UK react will be the other litmus test. the fight against terror in Africa has been orphaned. The Global Terrorism Index 2025 points out that the Sahel is now the epicentre of terrorism, accounting for over half of all terrorism deaths in the world. But the outside world has no time since it is not affecting them directly. It is a dismal commentary on our collective fight against terror. The inference is simple and, of course, has been self-evident for a long time. Each state will react as per its own geopolitical and other compulsions, especially when it affects it directly. This was how it was before 9/11 happened – the era of 'your terrorist' and 'my terrorist'. That era is returning. The fragmentation of this fight against terror is worse than ever before. In this scenario, Pakistan is not going to stop with the Pahalgam attack unless it knows that the price it will have to pay for sponsoring terrorism will be unacceptably high. It should be India's endeavour to ensure that this happens, if Pakistan is to be deterred. That is why it is even more necessary now for India to take the lead and sustain the high level of engagement to put forward our narrative and call out those responsible. This engagement should also extend to our neighbours. If sending multi-party delegations to neighbours proves to be sensitive, the foreign secretary can visit our neighbours, who are equally susceptible to being influenced by the Pakistani narrative, with Islamic radicals raising their heads again in some neighbouring countries. This will adversely impact our 'Neighbourhood First' policy. (The writer is a former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the UN in New York. He chaired the UN Security Council's Counter-terrorism Committee.)
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
No foreign military leader invited to the June 14 parade: White House
The White House has categorically denied reports that any foreign military leader, including Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, has been invited to the upcoming U.S. Army parade in Washington, marking the 250th anniversary of the American armed forces. 'This is false. No foreign military leaders were invited,' a White House official said, refuting multiple media reports from South Asia. The reports claimed that Mr. Munir would be a guest of honour at the June 14 celebration, which is also U.S. President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Derek Grossman, a senior defence analyst at RAND Corporation, criticised the rumoured invitation, calling it a 'diplomatic setback' for India. 'For India, the Trump admin's invitation to Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir is tantamount to inviting an avowed anti-India terrorist,' he said in post on X. Congress responds India's Opposition Congress Party described it as a diplomatic setback for the Modi Government. 'Failed Marshal Asim Munir, who gave such inflammatory, incendiary and provocative statements, talked about the two-nation theory, Hindus and Muslims, and there is a direct relation between his statement and what happened in Pahalgam on April 22. Same Asim Munir gets a special invitation to go to America on U.S. Army Day on June 14, which is incomprehensible,' the Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said. In anticipation of Mr. Munir's visit, the U.S. chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had announced a protest rally in front of the Pakistani Embassy in Washington on Saturday. 'PTI USA, alongside 12+ Pakistani diaspora organisations, is holding a massive protest in Washington DC to oppose #UndeclaredMartialLawin Pakistan and to stand against tyranny and raise our voice for a free and fair Pakistan,' it said. (
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Kin back home fear for safety of J&K students stranded in Iran
The Israeli attack over Iran has triggered panic across the student community studying in Iran and their families back in India, including J&K, with the majority of them demanding evacuation from the region. Hundreds of students of Jammu and Kashmir are studying in various universities and educational institutions of Iran and are scared after Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian soil and killed several of its top military leaders, including the chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami. The students said that the attack happened around 3 to 3.30 am during the night triggering chaos and panic. Tabiya Zahra, a 2nd year MBBS student from Kashmir currently studying in Tehran University, said that they were awoken by the sounds during the night which they first thought were thunder strikes. 'We were sleeping when we heard sounds like there were thunder strikes but soon there was chaos. The university authorities told us to go to the basement as these were attacks. Everybody is scared and tension is palpable,' Zahra told HT from Tehran. She said there was panic among the 40 Indian students, majority of them from Kashmir, who were staying in the dormitory she was in. She said that there were hundreds of other international students from India like them studying in various universities of Iran and they want to go home. 'Please evacuate us as soon as possible. There is tension and our families back home are also scared as there is uncertainty. There is also fear that the communication may get snapped as many SIM cards of students are not working any more,' she said. The students said that they were provided emails from the Indian embassy in Iran in which they had to provide the information of individual students. 'So far there has been no forward movement as the air spaces are closed,' she said. Badraan Jeelani, a resident of Srinagar whose sister is doing MBBS in Tehran University, said that they want safe return of their loved ones. 'They were in panic as the blasts happened close to a building near their university. We got to know about the situation at around 4 am. Everybody is worried. We are also in touch with some other parents. We want the Government of India to start some evacuation process so that our loved ones return home safely,' Jeelani said. Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has written to the Union Minister for External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, seeking urgent intervention for the evacuation of hundreds of Kashmiri students stranded in Iran amid the attacks. The association expressed its concern regarding the dire situation faced by hundreds of Kashmiri students currently studying in Iran, following the unprecedented escalation in hostilities between Iran and Israel. 'This volatile security environment has left thousands of Indian students, the majority of them from Kashmir valley, extremely vulnerable and exposed to immediate danger. These students had travelled to Iran to pursue professional education, particularly MBBS, due to the country's economically viable academic infrastructure. Now, they find themselves in the middle of an active military zone, fearful for their lives,' wrote Nasir Khuehami, national convener of the JKSA. According to Khuehami, there are some 1,500 students from Kashmir studying in Iran. He said many of these students are enrolled in colleges and universities that are situated close to vital military installations and strategic sites while some students are even located in cities where direct Israeli airstrikes have been reported. 'Numerous students have contacted the Indian Embassy in Tehran seeking support, relocation, or evacuation. However, they have not received any reassuring response or concrete information about what the next steps will be. They remain in a state of confusion and despair, with no clarity about evacuation plans, safety protocols, or emergency assistance,' he said. The association requested the Ministry of External Affairs to establish dedicated and responsive communication lines between Indian students in Iran and the Indian Embassy in Tehran. 'We also request the formulation and immediate preparedness of a comprehensive evacuation plan. If the situation continues to escalate or critical infrastructure comes under sustained attack, timely evacuation could be the difference between life and death,' the JKSA said. 'We hope this urgent appeal will receive your immediate and compassionate attention. The students from Jammu and Kashmir studying in Iran are our responsibility. Their safe return home must be a national priority,' it said.
