The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested Shahzad, a resident of Rampur, for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Shahzad had allegedly been smuggling goods across the India-Pakistan border and used this cover to share sensitive information with ISI agents. According to news agency IANS, authorities also alleged that he facilitated Indian SIM cards and sent individuals from Uttar Pradesh to Pakistan for espionage-related activities. A case has been registered and legal proceedings are ongoing.
This arrest comes amid a series of crackdowns against alleged espionage activities linked to Pakistan. Haryana Police have arrested two individuals, including a Rampur resident and a Hisar-based YouTuber, while investigations have been launched across multiple states.
2 Arrested In Haryana For ‘Spying’ For Pakistan
In a separate incident, PTI reported the arrest of a 26-year-old man named Armaan from Haryana’s Nuh district on similar charges. Nuh Police stated that Armaan was arrested on Saturday for allegedly sharing information related to the Indian Army and other military activities with Pakistan through an employee posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Acting on a tip-off from central probe agencies, the police recovered conversations, photos, and videos shared with Pakistani numbers from his mobile phone. He has been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and has been remanded to six-day police custody by a local court.
Meanwhile, Hisar-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra (33), who runs the channel ‘Travel with JO’, was also arrested on charges of espionage. According to Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan, Malhotra was allegedly in contact with a Pakistani officer posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi during the four-day India-Pakistan military conflict that followed the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
“Certainly, they were developing her as an asset,” SP Sawan told reporters on Sunday, adding that Malhotra was in touch with several YouTube influencers who were also communicating with Pakistani Intelligence Officers (PIOs). “This is also a kind of warfare, in which they try to push their narrative by recruiting influencers,” he remarked.
Though Malhotra reportedly did not have direct access to defence or military information, she was in communication with PIOs, the officer noted. Malhotra was arrested from New Aggarsain Extension on Friday and remanded to five-day police custody. Her financial transactions, travel history, and interactions are being scrutinised in coordination with central agencies. She has reportedly visited Pakistan multiple times and China once.
An FIR lodged at Civil Lines Police Station on May 16 states that Malhotra came into contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish at the Pakistan High Commission in 2023 while applying for a visa. She later met Danish’s acquaintance, Ali Ahwan, who arranged her stay in Pakistan and introduced her to Pakistani security and intelligence officials. She remained in contact through platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat, allegedly passing on sensitive information.
According to the FIR, on March 28, 2024, Malhotra was seen visiting the Pakistani Embassy. SP Sawan stated, “Socialising is allowed, but one should understand their intentions. Pakistan is not a normal country for us. Undertaking multiple visits, socialising with them during conflict, and exchanging favours endangers the unity and sovereignty of the country.”
Malhotra has also visited Kashmir before the Pahalgam attack. The SP revealed that she had met some “high-profile people” in Pakistan. “Why did she meet them and what information she shared with them — all of this will be asked,” he said, adding that she had been on the radar of intelligence agencies for some time.
The Odisha Police have also launched a probe into Malhotra’s alleged links with a Puri-based YouTuber she met during her September 2024 visit. Police are currently analysing electronic devices for forensic evidence and tracking down other Indian contacts possibly linked to the case.
On May 13, India expelled a Pakistani official from the High Commission for alleged involvement in espionage. Malhotra was subsequently arrested in Hisar later that week.
