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Hindustan Times
31-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Brother of espionage accused held over SIM supply to Pakistan: Delhi Police
Delhi Police's special cell on Saturday arrested a 42-year-old man from Rajasthan's Deeg in a case related to an alleged spying network run in India by the Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), officers said. The arrested accused, Mohammad Hasin, is the brother of Mohammad Kasim,34, a cleric who was nabbed earlier this week on charges of espionage and sending pre-activated Indian SIM cards to Pakistan, police said. Hasin was absconding since Kasim's arrest in the Official Secret Act (OSA) case that was registered earlier this week at the special cell police station. Police said that interrogation of the arrested brothers may lead to arrests of more Indians who were part of the alleged spying network. 'In August 2024, Hasin sent some Indian SIM cards to Pakistan through Kasim. One of the SIM cards was in his name, and the same was used by the PIOs. Hasin revealed that he sent pictures of sensitive Indian Army establishments to PIOs and received money in return. He also provided them with the One-Time Password (OTP) to activate WhatsApp in Pakistan,' a statement by the special cell read. Police said Hasin was produced before court and his custody was secured for an in-depth investigation regarding his network of espionage across the country. The mobile phones seized from Hasin and Kasim were sent to Delhi's forensic lab to retrieve deleted data.
India Gazette
19-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Verifying all facts": CID Crime Branch on Hisar woman's links with YouTuber Priyanka Senapati in spying case
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 19 (ANI): Following the arrest of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra for allegedly sharing sensitive information and being in continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen, Odisha police are investigating her links with YouTuber Priyanka Senapati who is from the State. Inspector General of Police (IGP) CID Crime Branch, Sarthak Sarangi, said that facts are being verified. 'We have just received information that YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra visited Puri's Jagannath temple and posted a video regarding it on Instagram. She also visited Chilika and Konark. She was in touch with a YouTuber from Odisha. We are verifying all the facts. We are in touch with our counterparts in Haryana regarding Jyoti Malhotra,' the police official said. Jyoti Malhotra, a resident of Hisar, Haryana, was arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information and being in continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen. Puri Superintendent of Police, Vinit Agrawal, said that they are in touch with the Haryana police over the matter. SP Agrawal said, 'Puri Police is investigating. We are in touch with Haryana and several state and central agencies.' According to Shashank Kumar Sawan, Superintendent of Police (SP) Hisar, Malhotra was being developed as an asset and had maintained ties with other YouTube influencers and Pakistani nationals. Sawan stated, 'She was in touch with other YouTube influencers, and they were also in contact with the Pakistan Information Officers (PIOs). She used to go to Pakistan, like on sponsored trips. She was in Pakistan before the Pahalgam attack, and the investigation is ongoing to establish any possible linkages.' Jyoti Malhotra was interrogated for allegedly passing information to Pakistan. She allegedly met a Pakistani officer, Ahsan-ur-Rahim, in Delhi, travelled to Pakistan twice, and shared sensitive information. Hisar DSP Kamaljeet said that the police has taken the woman on a five-day remand. She has been booked under Official Secret Act and relevant sections of BNS. The DSP said that police received 'some suspicious things' from her mobile and laptop. 'Yesterday, based on inputs that we had, we arrested Jyoti, daughter of Haris Kumar, under the Official Secret Act and BNS 152. We have received some suspicious things after we recovered her mobile and laptop. We have taken her on a five-day remand, and further investigation is on. She was in continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen,' Kamaljeet said. 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. She also told the police that after exchanging numbers, she started talking to Ahsan-ur-Rahim and travelled twice to Pakistan. Officials said that the woman also told during investigation that Ahsan-ur-Rahim arranged for her stay and travel and arranged meetings with Pakistani security and intelligence agencies. Haris Malhotra, father of the woman arrested by Haryana Police on charges of spying, has said that his daughter made YouTube videos and had visited Pakistan. He demanded return of the phones taken by the police. He said that police first came to their house on Thursday. He said that police have taken their bank documents, phone, laptop, and passport. He said his daughter used to visit Delhi and had been in Hisar for the last four-five days. 'She made YouTube videos. She used to visit Pakistan and other places,' Haris Malhotra told ANI. Asked how many times she had visited Pakistan, Malhotra said he did not know. He said she went to Pakistan after getting necessary permissions. 'If she has some friends there, can't she call them? I have no demands, but give us our phones. A case has been registered against us,' he said. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Two arrested for spying for Pakistan's ISI in Punjab's Gurdaspur
In a significant counter-espionage operation, Gurdaspur Police have thwarted an attempt to compromise national security by apprehending two persons involved in leaking sensitive military information, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said on Monday. 'On May 15, credible intelligence inputs indicated that Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh were engaged in sharing classified details related to Operation Sindoor, including troop movement and key strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, with Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI,' Yadav posted on X. 'Acting swiftly, the police arrested both suspects. Forensic examination of their mobile phones confirmed the intelligence inputs. The police team has also recovered three mobile phones and eight live cartridges (.30 bore) from their possession,' he said. The DGP said preliminary findings establish that the accused were in direct contact with Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence handlers and had transmitted critical information concerning the Indian armed forces. The FIR has been registered under the Official Secrets Act at Dorangla police station. The investigation continues and more disclosures are expected as the probe deepens, the police said. 'Punjab Police stands strong with the Indian Army, remains unwavering in its duty to safeguard national interests. Any attempt to undermine the security of our armed forces will be met with firm and immediate action,' Yadav added. On May 8, Malerkotla residents Guzala and Yameen Mohammad were arrested for their involvement in espionage activities linked to Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. DGP Yadav said the two had been receiving payments through online transactions in exchange for sharing sensitive information regarding Indian Army movements. Both have been booked under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of Official Secret Act at Police Station City-1, Malerkotla. In neighbouring Haryana, several individuals, including travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra in Hisar, have been arrested for espionage activities for Pakistan. Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapoor said the crackdown was the result of increased vigilance and surveillance across the state in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
India Gazette
18-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Haryana man arrested for leaking sensitive information to Pakistan
Nuh (Haryana) [India], May 18 (ANI): In a crackdown on anti-national elements, the Haryana police have arrested a man on charges of espionage for allegedly leaking sensitive information to Pakistan during the recent conflict between India and Pakistan. The accused, identified as Arman, was apprehended by the Nagina police on May 16 following actionable intelligence inputs. Speaking to ANI, Nuh Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ajaib Singh said, 'A man named Arman was arrested on May 16 based on the intelligence that the Nagina police had. He was found to be passing sensitive information to the Pakistani side during the conflict between India and Pakistan.' 'He is on remand, and we are collecting the information. We have the evidence, and we are furthering our investigation,' he said. In a similar incident, a travel vlogger and YouTuber who was arrested by the Haryana Police on suspicion of spying for Pakistan was sent to five days of police remand by a local court, officials said. According to police, 'suspicious things' were found after the police recovered her laptop and mobile. Additionally, the Deputy Superintendent of Hisar, Kamaljeet, said that the vlogger was in 'continuous contact' with a Pakistani citizen. 'Yesterday, based on inputs that we had, we arrested Jyoti, daughter of Haris Kumar, under the Official Secret Act and BNS 152. We have received some suspicious things after we recovered her mobile and laptop. We have taken her on a five-day remand, and further investigation is on. She was in continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen,' DSP Kamaljeet said in a self-made video on Saturday. Apart from the Official Secrets Act, Jyoti is being held under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Section 152, which is regarding acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India. As per an official memorandum issued by the Standing Committee on Information Technology Branch, 'Post terror attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, 2025, some social media influencers and social media platforms in the country seem to be working against the interest of the country, which is likely to incite violence. The committee requested the Ministry of Electronics and IT and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to provide the contemplated action taken to ban such platforms under the IT Act 2000 and 'Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 by May 8. The terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, resulted in the tragic loss of 26 lives, most of them tourists. The Indian Armed Forces under Operation Sindoor launched strikes at nine terror hideouts in deep areas of Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in the morning hours of May 7. Operation Sindoor was India's decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Launched on May 7, Operation Sindoor led to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan. After this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced. (ANI)
India Gazette
18-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Jyoti Malhotra was in Pakistan before Pahalgam attack: SP Hisar reveals YouTuber's links
Hisar (Haryana) [India], May 18 (ANI): Jyoti Malhotra, a resident of Hisar, Haryana, was arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information and being in continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen. According to Shashank Kumar Sawan, Superintendent of Police (SP) Hisar, Malhotra was being developed as an asset and had maintained ties with other YouTube influencers and Pakistani nationals. Sawan stated, 'She was in touch with other YouTube influencers, and they were also in contact with the Pakistan Information Officers (PIOs). She used to go to Pakistan, like on sponsored trips. She was in Pakistan before the Pahalgam attack, and the investigation is ongoing to establish any possible linkages.' Jyoti Malhotra was interrogated for allegedly passing information to the Pakistani side. She allegedly met a Pakistani officer, Ahsan-ur-Rahim, in Delhi, travelled to Pakistan twice, and shared sensitive information. Hisar DSP Kamaljeet said that the police has taken the woman on five-day remand. She has been booked under Official Secret Act and relevant sections of BNS. The DSP said that police received 'some suspicious things' from her mobile and laptop. 'Yesterday, based on inputs that we had, we arrested Jyoti, daughter of Haris Kumar, under the Official Secret Act and BNS 152. We have received some suspicious things after we recovered her mobile and laptop. We have taken her on a five-day remand, and further investigation is on. She was in continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen,' Kamaljeet said. 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. She also told the police that after exchanging numbers, she started talking to Ahsan-ur-Rahim and travelled twice to Pakistan. Officials said that the woman also told during investigation that Ahsan-ur-Rahim arranged for her stay and travel and arranged meetings with Pakistani security and intelligence agencies. Haris Malhotra, father of the woman arrested by Haryana Police on charges of spying, has said that his daughter made YouTube videos and had visited Pakistan. He demanded return of phones taken by police. He said that police first came to their house on Thursday. He said that police have taken their bank documents, phone, laptop, and passport. He said his daughter used to visit Delhi and had been in Hisar for the last four-five days. 'She made YouTube videos. She used to visit Pakistan and other places,' Haris Malhotra told ANI. Asked how many times she had visited Pakistan, Malhotra said he did not know. He said she went to Pakistan after getting necessary permissions. 'If she has some friends there, can't she call them? I have no demands, but give us our phones. A case has been registered against us,' he said. (ANI)
