New Delhi: YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan, will be produced in Haryana's Hisar court on Monday, following the end of a nine-day police remand. Police have already taken Jyoti Malhotra's remand twice before and will produce her in court for the third time. Malhotra was among the 12 people arrested from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on suspicion of espionage.

She ran a YouTube channel and was booked and later arrested on May 16 under the provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. It was reported that she was in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission, since November 2023. India expelled Danish on May 13 for allegedly indulging in espionage.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Intelligence Bureau, and military intelligence officials have also questioned Malhotra. Investigations have revealed that she visited Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Indonesia and some other countries. The police had said Pakistani intelligence was developing Malhotra as an asset.

It was also reported that she was in touch with Danish during the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan that followed the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. During the investigation, police have found deleted chats from Jyoti Malhotra's laptop and mobile. Earlier, the police sent her three mobile phones and a laptop for forensic examination.

Reportedly, Malhotra's four bank accounts are also being analysed. According to an official statement by the Hisar Superintendent of Police, the investigation so far has not found any evidence suggesting that Malhotra accessed sensitive defence or strategic information, nor any indication of her involvement in terrorist activities or connections with terrorist outfits.

Police confirmed that Malhotra was in contact with individuals she knew to be Pakistani intelligence operatives. She was questioned by the Madhya Pradesh Police on May 23 over her visit to the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain in April last year. 

(IANS)