From 'Travel with Jo' to Hisar jail: What is happening in the Jyoti Malhotra case now?

Jyoti Malhotra

Jyoti Malhotra, the 33-year-old YouTuber, who was arrested following espionage charges and was one of the 12 people held for allegedly spying for Pakistan, is now lodged in the Hisar Jail.

She used to run her YouTube channel 'Travel with Jo' and her father has told the media that his daughter has been claiming she is innocent. She spoke to her father when he visited her in Hisar Jail where she was brought after her police remand ended on Monday.

Charges against Jyoti

After facing espionage charges, Jyoti was taken into custody on May 17. A case was registered against her under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India, along with Sections 3 (penalties) and 5 (unauthorized communication of information) of the Official Secrets Act.

Initially, she was placed in five-day custody, which was extended by another four days on May 22. On May 26, she appeared before the court and was then sent to jail after police did not seek further remand of the the YouTuber.

Investigation so far

Up until now, not only the Haryana Police but also the NIA, the Intelligence Bureau and the military intelligence officials have undertaken an investigation in Malhotra's case and during questioning, they found out that she has visited several places, including Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and more.

Three mobile phones and a laptop have been recovered from her and sent to the forensics team. About 10-12 terabytes of data has also been recovered and is under the process of analysis.

Sources in the police department have confirmed that Jyoti was in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, who worked at the Pakistani High Commission since November 2023. She was also in touch with Danish during the four-day military standoff between India and Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor to destroy terror infrastructure in Pakistan.

The police have, however, said that there is no evidence to indicate that Malhotra has any access to any sensitive military or strategic information.