Cracking the 'spy ring': YouTuber, students and smugglers in North India's Pakistan-linked espionage network
NEW DELHI: India has launched a sweeping crackdown on an alleged Pakistan-linked espionage network operating in the northern states, arresting at least 12 individuals, including a popular YouTuber, on charges of spying over the past fortnight. The suspects were picked up from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh amid heightened concerns following the Pahalgam terror attack and the military's Operation Sindoor.
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Two women, Haryana-based influencer Jyoti Malhotra and 31-year-old Guzala from Punjab, were reportedly in contact with a Pakistani intelligence officer, Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. On May 13, India expelled the Pakistani official for alleged involvement in espionage activities.
Investigators claim those arrested were relaying sensitive military and strategic information to Pakistani handlers. Forensic analysis of digital devices and financial transactions is underway, police said.
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Among the first arrests, Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih from Amritsar were taken into custody on 4 May for allegedly leaking photographs and details about army cantonments and airbases near the Pakistan border to ISI operatives. More arrests followed on 11 May, including Guzala and Yameen Mohammad from Malerkotla, who were allegedly paid via UPI transfers for sharing confidential military details.
Police say Guzala confessed to sharing information with Danish for financial gain, receiving Rs 30,000 in two transactions.
On May 13, two more men Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh from Gurdaspur were detained. They were allegedly involved in leaking data on troop movements during Operation Sindoor and strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Weapons and electronic evidence were seized during the arrests.
'During the investigation, it was also discovered that they were previously involved in drug smuggling activities, through which they came into contact with ISI handlers. Their financial transactions, including online and cash dealings, also came under scrutiny,' said Gurdaspur SSP Aditya.
In Haryana, 24-year-old Nauman Ilahi was arrested in Panipat on 15 May for allegedly supplying information to Pakistan. Ilahi, originally from Uttar Pradesh, was reportedly in contact with an ISI handler. A day later, police arrested Devender Singh, a postgraduate student from Kaithal, who had travelled to Pakistan in November 2023 and was allegedly in touch with four Pakistani operatives.
Kaithal SP Astha Modi confirmed Singh's arrest and said, 'The accused Devendra Singh is 25 years old and a first year MA student at a college in Patiala. He was in touch with 4 Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs) - 3 men and a woman… We have searched his house, forensic audit of his bank accounts is being done… Around 300 GB of data has been obtained and we are analysing the data… The possibility of a honeytrap cannot be ruled out.'
YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who runs the 'Travel with JO' channel with over 3.7 lakh subscribers, was arrested on May 16 from Hisar. Her videos include titles like 'Indian Girl in Pakistan' and 'Indian Girl Exploring Lahore'. According to police, she met Danish at the Pakistan High Commission in 2023 while applying for a visa. Hisar SP Shashank Kumar Sawan said Malhotra was being 'developed as an asset' by PIOs during the military conflict following Operation Sindoor.
'This is also (a kind of) warfare, in which they try to push their narrative by recruiting influencers,' Sawan said.
Malhotra, who has visited Pakistan multiple times and also travelled to China, is under five-day police remand.
In further developments, Haryana Police arrested 26-year-old Armaan from Nuh and a local quack, Mohammad Tarif, on espionage charges. Tarif is accused of providing a SIM card to a Pakistani official and has reportedly confessed to visiting Pakistan.
Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, Shahzad from Rampur was arrested by the Special Task Force for allegedly passing sensitive information to ISI handlers while engaging in cross-border smuggling of goods like cosmetics and spices.
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