Spy Case: Jyoti Malhotra To Remain In Jail As Court Rejects Her Bail Plea
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Malhotra, who ran "Travel with JO" on YouTube, is accused of being an asset for Pakistani intelligence.
A Haryana court on Wednesday denied bail to social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on suspicion of espionage last month.
Hisar Police arrested Malhotra on suspicion of espionage on May 16 and she was subsequently remanded to five days of police custody by the court. Following the completion of the remand, the court extended the custody by four more days after the police sought to question her further.
On May 26, the court remanded her to judicial custody for 14 days.
Why Was Jyoti Malhotra Arrested?
Malhotra was arrested at the New Aggarsain Extension and booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The police have claimed Pakistani intelligence operatives were developing Malhotra as an asset.
Police sources had previously said 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.
Who Is Jyoti Malhotra?
Malhotra, who hails from Hisar, ran a YouTube channel 'Travel with JO". The 33-year-old influencer has 377k subscribers on YouTube and 132k followers on Instagram.
The video is mostly of her roaming the streets and describing her experience as an Indian walking the streets of Lahore. But, it also shows that she is surrounded by gunmen armed with AK-47s, and she was followed by the security cover wherever she visited. At one point, officials even blocked traffic movement for her convenience.
First Published:
June 11, 2025, 16:32 IST
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