Did Jyoti Malhotra know her Pakistani contacts had ISI hyperlinks? What her laptop computer knowledge revealed

Haryana Police is at present inspecting the digital path of ‘spy’ YouTuber
Jyoti Malhotra
, who’s at present underneath arrest for allegedly spying for Pakistan.

The 33-year-old journey vlogger was taken into custody earlier this month after intelligence businesses raised issues over her frequent visits to Pakistan and her shut interactions with officers from the Pakistan Excessive Fee. She is now in 14-day judicial custody.

Through the probe, police recovered a staggering 13 terabytes of information from her 5 cellphones and laptop computer. And now, the forensic evaluation of that knowledge has unveiled some surprising revelations about her hyperlinks with Pakistani intelligence operatives.

Right here’s what’s come to gentle thus far.

Did Jyoti Malhotra have hyperlinks with Pakistan’s ISI?

In keeping with a report by NDTV, Malhotra knew that the Pakistani officers she was in contact with labored with Inter-Providers Intelligence, Pakistan’s infamous spy company. But, she confirmed no hesitation or concern whereas participating with them.

Sources informed the outlet that Malhotra was in direct contact with at the very least 4 Pakistani intelligence brokers and spoke to them one-on-one. These contacts reportedly included people named Danish, Ahsan, and Shahid.

The Pakistani operatives reportedly supplied her with “particular remedy” throughout her go to to Pakistan, a senior police official informed the Hindustan Occasions, additional saying that she was absolutely conscious of their positions, together with involvement in intelligence.

Authorities are actually working to establish the precise designations and roles these Pakistani brokers held throughout the nation’s safety institution.

Following her arrest, Malhotra reportedly admitted that she had been in contact with a Pakistani officer named Ehsan-ur-Rahim, often known as Danish. She had first met him on the Pakistan Excessive Fee whereas making use of for a visa to go to the nation.

Danish was
expelled by India
 earlier this month. He was declared persona non grata after being linked to intelligence leaks in Punjab and interesting in actions that violated diplomatic protocols.

Moreover Danish, NDTV sources had earlier revealed that Malhotra was in frequent contact with Ali Hasan, a handler working for ISI. Officers mentioned the 2 have been in common communication, with investigators attempting to retrieve WhatsApp chats between them.

In a single such message, Malhotra had reportedly informed Hasan, “Get me married in Pakistan,” indicating a attainable emotional reference to him and Islamabad.

Heavy safety accompanied Malhotra throughout Pakistan go to

In one in every of her two-month-old movies uploaded on her YouTube channel Journey with Jo, Jyoti Malhotra will be seen underneath unusually tight safety throughout her go to to Pakistan.

All through the video, armed males carrying AK-47 rifles shadow her actions, escorting her wherever she goes.

Whereas en path to the Valmiki Mandir in Lahore, Malhotra is seen conversing with a safety officer, who remarks, “A particular door at Shahi Qila (Lahore Fort) was opened for you. It’s the oldest door there. Now that you’re right here, do go to Anarkali Bazar (additionally in Lahore).”

As she approached the temple, the streets have been closely manned with safety forces wearing inexperienced and black jackets. At one level, some personnel appeared to dam off site visitors on one finish of the highway—one thing Malhotra herself described as a “chakka jam.” Autos stopped to permit her to cross.

Apparently, the identical guards—some sporting ‘No Concern’ jackets—additionally made an look in a video by Scottish YouTuber Callum Mills. Within the clip, Mills expressed shock at seeing the heavy safety element round Malhotra in Anarkali Bazar.

“Take a look at all of the weapons she has acquired surrounding her. There’s about six gunmen surrounding her,” he mentioned, including that such a presence made the realm seem unsafe.

The type of safety Malhotra acquired has now come underneath scrutiny. Haryana Police are investigating who authorised the armed safety, particularly for the reason that males within the Anarkali footage weren’t in uniform and should have been plainclothes officers.

Earlier, authorities raised issues over how she financed these journeys, indicating that they could have been sponsored.

“Her recognized earnings sources don’t justify her international journey. We suspect exterior funding. On the floor, she was only a journey blogger,” mentioned Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan throughout a press briefing.

Malhotra despatched to 14-day custody

On Monday, Malhotra was despatched to 14-day judicial custody in Hisar, Haryana. This comes after she had already accomplished a four-day police custody interval, which ended the day earlier than.

She is accused of leaking delicate data to Pakistan, together with particulars about nationwide energy blackouts that occurred throughout ‘Operation Sindoor.’

“She was actively speaking with handlers from Pakistan even when there was a communication blackout,” a senior intelligence supply informed The Monetary Specific. She additionally allegedly shared data associated to the 
blackouts
 imposed throughout North India in the course of the operation.

Police suspect that Malhotra was possible “developed as an asset” by Pakistani handlers. Whereas she had no entry to delicate defence knowledge, officers consider she was instructed to current Pakistan in a constructive gentle via her content material.

“In trendy warfare, the enemy tries to set a constructive narrative in its favour. The involvement of Malhotra suggests she helped them in setting narratives. That is how influencers and YouTubers are being roped in,” Sawan added.

With enter from businesses