Bhubaneswar: Travel blogger and YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan today, had visited Odisha’s Puri town recently.

The accused woman currently under the custody of Haryana Economic Offences Wing had visited the 12th century shrine along with her family members in the third quarter of last year.

While security at the Hindu shrine is heightened in view of possible terror attack in the wake of incidents like Pahalgam massacre, it remains unclear about the motive of the accused visiting the temple city. Though she is seen capturing videos in front of the temple posted on her Instagram profile 'travelwithjo1', no mention of entry to the temple could be found on the particular post.  

Had she travelled to Puri to collect sensitive information and passed on to the Pakistani intelligence operatives? Was the pilgrim city which is often crammed with devotees from across the country in the list of sensitive places about which she, according to the investigative agencies, has passed vital information? These are the million-dollar questions which warrants answers from the investigators and the accused.

The Hisar police in Haryana today arrested Malhotra and five others for allegedly spying for Pakistan and providing sensitive information to intelligence operatives of the neighbouring country. 

According to the first information report (FIR), the travel blogger visited the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023, where she came into contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a staffer.

She has been accused of sharing sensitive information regarding Indian locations and was used to project Pakistan on social media in a positive light.

Danish, who has since been declared persona non grata by the Indian government and expelled on May 13, introduced her to multiple intelligence operatives based in Pakistan.

Investigators say she also entered into an intimate relationship with an intelligence operative and travelled to Bali in Indonesia with him.

During Danish’s stay in Delhi, she was allegedly in regular touch with him. During her trips to Pakistan, she reportedly met with Pakistani intelligence officers and began supplying them with sensitive information on Indian military installations and movements.

She allegedly used encrypted messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat to communicate and saved contacts of Pakistan’s ISI under fake names in her phone to conceal their identity.

Jyoti has been booked under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act and Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the statement of Sub-Inspector Bijender Singh in the Civil Lines Police Station in Hisar.

According to the police, Devender Dhillon, a resident of a village in Kaithal district, was also arrested on espionage charges. He is accused of providing strategic details, including updates on Operation Sindoor.

Earlier this week, Punjab Police arrested two people, including a 31-year-old woman, for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to an official posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

Those arrested have been identified as Gazala and Yameen Mohamad, both residents of Malerkotla in Punjab. Police teams have also recovered two mobile phones from their possession.

The development came days after Amritsar (Rural) Police arrested two people, identified as Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih, for their alleged role in leaking sensitive information and photographs of army cantonment areas and air bases to Pakistan’s intelligence agency.

(With IANS inputs)