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YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra Held in Judicial Custody as Espionage Probe Widens

Investigators have seized terabytes of device data, scrutinized her bank accounts, questioned her contacts in advance of a June 9 hearing

Jyoti allegedly met a Pakistani officer, Ahsan-ur-Rahim, in Delhi, travelled to Pakistan twice, and shared sensitive information
Malhotra, 33, was arrested on May 16 on charges of espionage and sharing sensitive information with foreign operatives. (HT File)

Overview

  • Malhotra, arrested on May 16 under the Official Secrets Act, has been in judicial custody since May 26 with her first hearing set for June 9 and lawyer Kumar Mukesh retained to pursue bail
  • Multi-agency teams from the NIA, IB and military intelligence have recovered 10–12 terabytes of data from her phones and laptop and are auditing four of her bank accounts
  • Authorities allege Malhotra maintained deliberate contact with at least four Pakistani intelligence operatives, including Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish who was expelled from India on May 13
  • No evidence has emerged linking her to classified military or defence information or terrorist organisations, police spokesperson Shashank Kumar Sawan has confirmed
  • Through her father Harish Malhotra and legal counsel, she continues to profess her innocence and intends to apply for bail once case documents are reviewed