Youtuber Jyoti Malhotra Arrested: हरियाणा की यूट्यूबर निकली पाकिस्तानी जासूस, गिरफ्तार
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Navbharat Times• 17 May 2025, 7:51 pm
Youtuber Jyoti Malhotra Arrested: हरियाणा की यूट्यूबर निकली पाकिस्तानी जासूस, गिरफ्तार
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India.com
8 hours ago
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Who is 'Madam N' from Pakistan, ISI agent accused of building an army of 500 spies in India, she runs..., her name is...
Since the Pahalgam terror attack, relations between India and Pakistan have been severely strained. Several Indian YouTubers and citizens have recently come under scrutiny after being accused of allegations of spying on behalf of Pakistan. The individuals are accused of having passed on confidential information or conducted online activities that threatened national security, further fueling the already charged atmosphere between the two countries. One such person is YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, was also accused of spying against India. The first hearing of Jyoti's case will be held in the Hisar court on June 9. Lawyer Kumar Mukesh, who will plead Jyoti's case in Haryana's Hisar District Court, said that Jyoti has made videos for her YouTube channel at different places and has also gone abroad with a visa. On May 26, the court sent Jyoti to judicial custody for fourteen YouTuber was arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information and being in continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen. She allegedly met a Pakistani officer, Ahsan-ur-Rahim, in Delhi, travelled to Pakistan twice, and shared sensitive information. During the preliminary investigation, the woman told the police that she went to the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023 to apply for a visa and met a man named Ahsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish. According to sources cited by NDTV, a businesswoman running a 'travel agency' in Lahore, Pakistan, has been identified as the key figure behind facilitating visits of Indian social media influencers to Pakistan. She is believed to have laid the groundwork to use them as spies, raising serious concerns over cross-border espionage efforts. Sources reveal that Noshaba Shehzad, a businesswoman operating under Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), played an important role in facilitating the travel of Indian social media influencers to Pakistan. Through her Lahore-based company, 'Jaiyana Travel and Tourism', she assisted individuals like Jyoti Malhotra, who was recently arrested, along with several others, in entering the country. As per the NDTV report, Sources say that during the interrogation of arrested social media influencers in India, investigators uncovered the name of a key figure—Ms. Noshaba Shehzad, known within Pakistan's ISI by the codename 'Madam N.' Shehzad's role, they allege, was far more than just arranging travel. She had been quietly working to build a vast sleeper cell network of at least 500 individuals—people trained to blend into everyday life and operate undetected across India. According to sources cited by NDTV, Ms. Shehzad is married to a retired officer of the Pakistani civil services. Acting on detailed instructions from the Pakistani Army and the ISI, she was tasked with establishing a sleeper cell network within India, designed to operate discreetly and avoid detection.
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Indian Express
Trapping social media influencers: ISI's strategy to weave an espionage-cum-propaganda network
Investigations into Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) latest modus operandi of espionage have revealed a concentrated effort to invite, entice, and then co-opt social media influencers through a variety of lures to build a web of informers among the community. Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior official said the cases of Hisar-based YouTube channel operator Jyoti Malhotra and Ropar-based Jasbir Singh, who also ran a YouTube channel, are not isolated, and are part of a well-planned operation by ISI to increase its reach through the twin aims of collecting information and spreading propaganda. Central intelligence agencies and the Punjab Police have been unravelling the spy network which was cultivated by several officials based in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Two staff members of the High Commission have already been thrown out of India after the government declared them persona non grata. 'ISI has been using a variety of tools to reach out to social media influencers not only in Punjab but across the country in order to weave an espionage-cum-propaganda network, which works out in favour of Pakistan. The first step is to invite the influencers of various platforms like YouTube, Instagram, X, Snapchat, etc, to the get-togethers of the Pakistan High Commission, and then offer them visas to visit Pakistan,' the official said. Once the influencer travels to Pakistan, the next step of the operation kicks in, under which enticements may be offered by way of cash and kind, including the honeytrap method, which would be used to coerce them into doing their bidding. 'It is a slow process, and often multiple visits are encouraged to Pakistan, and the confidence level in ISI operatives who are working under cover is gradually built up. When the target knowingly or unknowingly makes a false step and falls into their clutches, they close the trap, making it difficult for the influencer to back out,' the official said. Pakistan's efforts to entice Indian YouTube channel operators for espionage stem from a combination of strategic, geopolitical, and tactical motives. Leveraging social media influence for soft power and propaganda is boosted by the reach and credibility. YouTubers, especially those with large followings (Jasbir Singh with 1.1 million subscribers and Jyoti Malhotra with 377,000–381,000 subscribers), have significant online influence. Their content can shape public perceptions, making them valuable for projecting pro-Pakistan narratives or countering anti-Pakistan sentiment in India, say investigators. By encouraging influencers to create content like 'Indian Girl in Pakistan', as seen in the case of Jyoti Malhotra, Pakistan aims to portray a positive image, potentially softening public opinion in India or globally. This aligns with 'soft power' strategies to influence narratives subtly while gathering intelligence. Influencers can also play a vital role in covert operations as they are less likely to arouse suspicion compared to traditional spies, as their travel vlogs and cultural exchanges appear innocuous, providing a cover for espionage activities. ISI has also been found to be exploiting the financial vulnerabilities of influencers, as most YouTubers rely on views, sponsorships, or external funding. Pakistani operatives offer financial rewards, sponsored trips (like Malhotra's visits to Pakistan in 2023), or other incentives to lure influencers, exploiting their need for content and revenue. Intelligence officials say that in the wake of Operation Sindoor and heightened India-Pakistan tensions, ISI likely seeks real-time intelligence on Indian military movements, cantonment details, and strategic operations, especially in border states like Punjab. 'Punjab's proximity to the India-Pakistan border makes it a focal point for espionage. YouTubers travelling in these regions can inadvertently or deliberately gather and share information about troop deployments, infrastructure, or security arrangements, which can be vital to the enemy who wants to collect granular data,' another official said.
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Punjab YouTuber arrested for spying for Pakistan, links with Jyoti Malhotra
Punjab Police on Wednesday unearthed an espionage network with the arrest of Jasbir Singh, a resident of Mahlan village in Rupnagar district having links with Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra and Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistan high commission official who was expelled on May 13. A Mohali court sent the accused to three-day police remand after he was produced before it. 'Acting swiftly on actionable intelligence, the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Mohali, unearthed a critical espionage network,' Punjab director general of police Gaurav Yadav said. Jasbir, who operates a YouTube channel called 'Jaan Mahal' with 11 lakh subscribers, was found to be associated with Pakistan intelligence officer Shakir, alias Jutt Randhawa, a part of a terror-backed espionage network. He was also in touch with Jyoti Malhotra, 33, who ran a YouTube channel 'Travel with JO' and was arrested in Hisar last month. Investigations have revealed that Jasbir attended the Pakistan National Day event in #Delhi on Danish's invitation, where he met Pakistani army officials and vloggers. The AIG counter-intelligence Ravjot Grewal said the accused Jasbir was introduced to Jyoti Malhotra through Pakistan embassy officials at an event hosted by the Pakistan embassy in 2024. 'Both Jasbir and Jyoti also visited Pakistan together. Further investigation is in progress to identify potential accomplices, digital communication trails, and foreign linkages', she added. He travelled to Pakistan in 2020, 2021 and 2024, and his electronic devices contained multiple Pakistan-based numbers, now under forensic scrutiny. After Jyoti Malhotra's arrest, Jasbir attempted to erase all traces of his communications with these PIOs to avoid detection. The DGP said around 150 Pakistan contacts have been retrieved from the initial mobile phone forensics of the arrested accused, including mobile numbers of Pakistan ISI agents, Pakistan high commission officials and other Pak-based entities. The AIG said that police teams have received reliable input about Jasbir Singh alias Jaan Mahal in touch with many Pakistan-based entities including agents of the Pakistan intelligence agency, ISI, and was providing sensitive information about the movement of Indian Army and other inside activities of the country to Pakistan. The accused had visited various countries, including Pakistan, Canada, Maldives, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, in the past five years. Jasbir's latest post was an inconspicuous video uploaded on Tuesday about a gate being built at his under-construction house. He has deleted all videos about his visits to Pakistan. An FIR under section 152 (Threatening India's sovereignty, Unity Integrity) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act at Police Station SSOC SAS Nagar. 'Investigation is underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators,' the DGP said. On Tuesday, Punjab Police arrested Gagandeep Singh, alias Gagan of Rodupur Mohalla, Gali Nazar Singh Wali in Tarn Taran, for sharing sensitive information with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Pakistan-based Khalistani supporter Gopal Singh Chawla. Jasbir's arrest takes the number of arrests for spying to nine in the border state. The action on spy networks within the country comes in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead and the four-day military conflict with Pakistan that followed under Operation Sindoor from May 7 to 10.
