Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Home Department has officially designated the Bhubaneswar office of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as a police station with jurisdiction across the entire State.

Per a notification issued on May 17, 2025, the State Government declared the office of the Superintendent of Police, In-charge of the NIA Police Station, Bhubaneswar, as a police station under the powers conferred by Section 2(1)(u) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act 46 of 2023).

The notification will take effect from the date of its publication in the Odisha Gazette.

The decision comes in the wake of the arrest of popular travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra for her alleged involvement in spying for Pakistan. 

Malhotra, who hails from Haryana, visited the Jagannath Temple in Puri last September. During her visit to Odisha, she was accompanied by her friend and fellow travel vlogger Priyanka Senapati, who is based in Puri.