‘Spy' YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra grilled by MP Police over Mahakaleshwar Temple visit: What we know so far
Jyoti Malhotra, the YouTuber who was arrested on suspicion of espionage in Haryana, was questioned by the Madhya Pradesh Police on Friday over her visit to the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain.
However, nothing incriminating came out during the questioning, an official said was quoted by news agency PTI as saying on Friday.
Jyoti Malhotra has been accused of spying for Pakistan. The 33-year-old content creator and social media influencer is currently in the custody of police in Hisar, Haryana.
A Madhya Pradesh police team grilled the YouTuber in Haryana on Friday after it received the information that she had visited the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple — dedicated to Lord Shiva in the ancient holy city of Ujjain — in April last year.
The YouTuber had put out photos and videos on different social media platform, and police had information that she came to Mahakal Temple for darshan in April last year, said the officer.
The team questioned her but "nothing incriminating or suspicious about her visit to the temple has come out", Ujjain Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Nitesh Bhargava told PTI over the phone.
"The place is very sensitive and sees a huge number of footfalls daily, including devotees from overseas. So it was important to grill her. We took suo motu [on its own motion] action to send a team to Hisar [where she is being grilled by different agencies]," he added.
"She stood in the queue like common devotees and had the darshan of the deity," the ASP said.
"We have not got any suspicious things (in connection to her Ujjain visit) as of now. It [questioning] was just our precautionary exercise. What was the harm in it?," Bhargava asked.
Malhotra was among the 12 people arrested from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh over the past two weeks on suspicion of espionage, with investigators suspecting the presence of a Pakistan-linked spy network operating in north India.
Hisar-based Malhotra, who ran a YouTube channel titled 'Travel with JO', was arrested from the New Aggarsain Extension on May 16. She was booked under the relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to police.
On May 22, a Haryana court had extended the police remand of content creator and social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra by four days.
Hisar police had then reportedly said that no evidence had emerged to indicate Malhotra had access to any military- or defence-related information.
"But she was definitely in contact with some people, knowing that they were Pakistani intelligence operatives," they had said.
Police sources told news agency PTI that she was in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission, since November 2023.
India expelled Danish on May 13 for allegedly indulging in espionage.
Police sent Malhotra's three mobile phones and a laptop for forensic examination. Malhotra's four bank accounts are also being analysed.
The National Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau, and military intelligence officials have also questioned Malhotra. Investigations reportedly revealed that she visited Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and some other countries.
Police said earlier that Pakistani intelligence operatives were developing Malhotra as an asset.
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