23-05-2025
Ujjain police questions vlogger Jyoti Rani over Mahakaleshwar visit
Days after YouTube content creator Jyoti Rani was arrested on charges of espionage, a team from Madhya Pradesh Police questioned her over a visit to Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple in April 2024, police officials confirmed on Friday.
The 34-year-old, who was taken into custody by Hisar police on May 17 for allegedly spying for Pakistan, had visited the temple town last year. A five-member team from Ujjain Police subsequently travelled to Haryana earlier this week to question her, said Additional Superintendent of Police, Ujjain, Nitesh Bhargava.
'We had found that she had also visited Ujjain in the past and since it's a sensitive and religious city, we wanted to scrutinise her activities here. The team is now returning from Haryana and nothing suspicious has been found so far,' Mr. Bhargava told The Hindu.
He added that Ms. Rani had visited the Mahakaleshwar temple as 'a regular devotee in a queue', and that the local police started monitoring her her activities in Ujjain since her arrest. The local police remain in coordination with investigating agencies handling the larger espionage case.
Ms. Rani's visits to Pakistan and the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi are under investigation. Hisar police have alleged that she was being groomed as an 'asset' by Pakistani intelligence officials.
Her arrest comes amid heightened security concerns following the Pahalgam terror attack, with multiple arrests made across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in recent weeks for alleged espionage-related activities.
