- 5/19/2025
This episode of Newstrack covers the Pakistan espionage racket involving YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra and several others. The 33-year-old influencer has been linked to a Pakistan High Commission staffer and charged under the Official Secrets Act.
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00:00Online star, real life traitor.
00:21Digital darling, national disgrace.
00:30Terror hubs, new age warfare.
00:39Nations, secrets, sold out for fame.
00:50Family abandons traitor Jyoti.
00:53Do you ever know what Pakistan has visited?
00:57Or there are also Pakistani friends?
01:00Do you know any of those things before you?
01:02I didn't know.
01:03I didn't know anything.
01:06Pakistan spying busted.
01:08Hello and welcome.
01:15Good evening.
01:16You're watching NewsTrack here on India Today.
01:17I'm Akshra Tananthi Koppal.
01:18And over the next 30 minutes, we'll be getting you all the details of the Pakistan espionage racket that's been busted.
01:25At the heart of which is a YouTuber, Jyoti Malhotra.
01:29But there are a lot more elements to this, a lot more accused who have been nabbed.
01:33We're going to be getting you all the details of that and why perhaps Pakistan is looking out for these influencers, content creators who could be on their side.
01:42What perhaps information could they get?
01:45How could it help them in this modern warfare?
01:48We're going to be talking about that and much more.
01:50Here are the headlines first.
01:56Foreign Secretary briefs parliamentary panel on India-Pakistan tension says there was no nuclear signaling from Pakistan and the ceasefire was bilateral without U.S. intervention.
02:07Rahul Gandhi accuses external affairs minister of forewarming Pakistan ahead of Operation Sindhur.
02:18Government puts out statement fact-checking later of opposition.
02:26India's power push in Europe after Operation Sindhur.
02:30External Affairs Minister Jaishankar meets delegates in Netherlands.
02:33Park's Deputy Prime Minister Ishikdar runs to Allied China meanwhile.
02:44Supreme Court to hear case against Ashoka University professor's arrest over social media posts on Operation Sindhur.
02:50Khan was remanded to two days police custody in two cases against him.
02:55And flooding in many parts of Bengaluru after torrential overnight rainfall.
03:02City breaches 100 mm mark in a single day in May for the second time in a decade.
03:08And let's begin with breaking news coming in on the beating retreat ceremony at the Atari Vaga border.
03:27That's all set to resume from tomorrow.
03:29But it will be a scaled down version of what we have been seeing for the last many many years.
03:34So in the scaled down version there will be no handshake.
03:38There will be no opening of the doors or gates.
03:40But audiences will still be allowed.
03:43So the beating retreat ceremony will be back starting tomorrow.
03:47And it is of course going to be essentially the same kind of spectacle that we have seen previously as well.
03:54When we have seen the both sides of course put up this grand display if you will.
04:00I'd like to bring in on this broadcast Brahma Chalani strategic affairs expert.
04:05Mr. Chalani good evening.
04:06I of course invited you on another topic.
04:08But I'd like your opinion also on this Mr. Chalani.
04:12Of how we're going to be seeing the beating retreat ceremony once again at the Atari Vaga border.
04:16Do you think and there's been of course huge opinion on social media on this.
04:20That it was time perhaps to end this kind of a theatrical display if you will.
04:24What do you think?
04:25I agree.
04:27I'm actually surprised that the government has decided to resume beating the retreat at the Atari Vaga border.
04:35No purpose will be served by resuming it.
04:39This is a decadent norm which was ended because of hostilities and resuming it when actually the government insists
04:50that Operation Sindur has merely been paused not ended that sends the wrong signal.
05:02Very true.
05:03But you know beyond the timing of it Mr. Chalani do you think the time also has come in a way to kind of stop this practice?
05:10That there's no need for this display of a beating retreat?
05:13This practice had a colonial hangover.
05:20It should have never been maintained for so long.
05:25Now this decadent practice has to end.
05:29So resuming it not only sends the wrong message, it suggests that the colonial mindset in the Indian bureaucracy hasn't disappeared.
05:43It's a very important message that you have mentioned.
05:48And let's see really if the government chooses to continue with this procedure or this tradition as they have been for the last many, many years.
05:59For now they're saying it resumes tomorrow in a scaled down version which means that what's part of tradition is for a handshake and the opening of gates.
06:07That won't happen.
06:08Audience will still be allowed.
06:09You'll still see that show that you see there on your screens.
06:12But the gates will remain closed.
06:14Mr. Chalani I'll request you to stay with me.
06:16Because the top focus here on news track is on this Pakistan espionage racket that's been busted.
06:24Accused Jyoti Malhotra, a young 33-year-old YouTuber and influencer, has been linked now directly with a Park staffer.
06:33And that's where the question has come up about whether she's got a role as far as really the Pakistan High Commission spying activities are concerned.
06:43You had a Park High Commission staffer actually being declared a persona non grata.
06:48And that's where it began. That's how the link to Jyoti Malhotra emerged as well as several others.
06:54Let's get your details first in our report on the interrogation and details that have emerged about this young YouTuber.
07:00What was her role? How was she helping Pakistan? Details in our report.
07:04How did you feel? Lahore was very good.
07:08It's a whole group of CM Jyoti.
07:09It's a samosa.
07:10It's a samosa.
07:11It's a Lahore.
07:12It's a samosa.
07:13It's not done.
07:14It's a different taste.
07:16Big revelation on Pakistan's spy ring involving a popular influencer.
07:21Jyoti Malhotra's link with Pakistan is tumbling out.
07:25Thank you. Thank you.
07:29Jyoti made three yearly trips to Pakistan since 2023 apart from visiting Kashmir frequently.
07:38Cops suspect she may have shot specific Kashmir locations at behest of Pakistan.
07:44This is the house that she used to live in.
07:47The fridge magnets on the room and the fridge is visible of her interest to travel.
07:54Jyoti is not the one person who is arrested.
07:56At least six of them have been picked up in Haryana across different districts that include
08:01Nu, Kaithal, Panipat, etc.
08:04And also Punjab's Maler Kotla.
08:06This is an ongoing investigation suggesting that a group of influencers were in close touch
08:12with one person from the Pakistan embassy in Delhi.
08:15One Haryana Sikh Gurudwara management body, employer Harkirat Singh, is emerging as Keylink
08:22who introduced Jyoti to her Pakistani handlers.
08:26Harkirat, who was arrested, has revealed that Jyoti was trapped by Pakistan embassy staffer
08:32Danish while seeking Pakistani visa in 2023.
08:37Jyoti had subsequently developed intimate relationship with a Pakistani handler and had even gone
08:43on a week-long trip to Bali.
08:46Jyoti's curious links to a Pakistan embassy staffer who carried her cake soon after the
08:51Pehlgaam attack is also out.
08:56The same Pakistani embassy employee was with Jyoti when she attended an iftar party at the embassy.
09:02Tasked with spreading positive narrative on Pakistan, Jyoti gave a clean chit to Pakistan
09:08after the Pehlgaam attack.
09:11Jyoti's Pakistani trips are now under scanner, as agencies suspect,
09:27that Pakistan was grooming her as a spying asset.
09:36Jyoti also kept her family in the dark about her trips to Pakistan.
09:40The espionage ring revelations exposing a fresh Pakistani ploy to enlist influencers to snoop inside India.
10:09As-salamu alaykum.
10:12Vishya Chatterjee, Bureau Report, India Today.
10:16Today is our last day.
10:17We are running in traffic.
10:19I would have thought that a YouTuber who runs a travel vlog called Travel with Joe is actually linked to Pakistan intelligence networks.
10:31And I'd like to bring back Mr. Brahma Chalani on this broadcast.
10:34So to everyone asking the question, I'm sure most of our viewers are, what purpose does it really serve Pakistan to have in fact someone like a YouTuber, an influencer as part of their spy racket or their espionage ring?
10:49What do you have to say about that Mr. Chalani?
10:52Well, this individual has been arrested under the Official Secrets Act and a provision of the law that relates to activities prejudicial to national security.
11:02In other words, police are investigating activities by this individual that involve espionage, not just influencing social media conversation or doing public relations on behalf of Pakistan,
11:22something more detrimental to India's national security.
11:27We do not know exactly what the police are investigating.
11:31They have not formally charged her, but they have in the FIR invoked the Official Secrets Act
11:39and a particular section of the new law that relates to activities against national security.
11:47The point is this, that India is an open society, a democratic society.
11:54Our system is so open that many people think our system is for us.
11:59It's not difficult for foreign intelligence agencies to recruit people in India, given our openness.
12:07Sometimes people get recruited unknowingly.
12:10Sometimes foreign intelligence agencies look for individuals who are experiencing economic hardship,
12:17who have ideological disaffection with the Indian state, or sometimes they use sexual blackmail to recruit Indian citizens.
12:28So insider threats need to be countered.
12:31So one has to look beyond the case of one individual.
12:35One has to look at how India can strengthen its counterintelligence, its counterespionage efforts,
12:45by dealing with neutralizing insider threats.
12:49Insider threats are pretty potent, because citizens knowingly or unknowingly might advance the work of foreign intelligence agencies.
13:03But what do you think she had to offer to Pakistan, Mr. Chalani?
13:08Look, this is someone who didn't have any access to any sensitive military details or any strategic details per se.
13:16So why do you think, you know, Pakistan wanted someone like her in their network?
13:21What could she offer to them?
13:23You ask a good question, for which I don't have an answer, because I'm not investigating this case.
13:29Only the police can respond to that.
13:31But the fact that she has been charged under the Official Secrets Act, which is very unusual,
13:38because normally you charge somebody who has worked for the state that is a government employer, for example.
13:46This particular lady is a private citizen who has never worked for the government.
13:52So obviously the police are investigating something that suggests that she was actually revealing secrets, state secrets,
14:02that she had acquired through other means by, you know, through third parties in the country.
14:10I guess because it's very unusual for a private citizen to be charged under the Official Secrets Act.
14:17You know, it's a bit scary, quite honestly, Mr. Chalani, that you have a young woman, a 33-year-old,
14:25perhaps at this point looking at the allegations of it, indulging in some very, very dangerous activities with Pakistan.
14:32And it's not just her. You look at the string of those who have been involved, named all youngsters, anyone who could be in our neighbourhood,
14:39who could be colleagues, who could be people we follow on social media.
14:43And so looking at something like this, do you think that this is a fresh modus operandi that we've kind of stumbled upon,
14:49that Pakistan is resorting to reaching out to youngsters, reaching out to very unsuspecting people?
14:55The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi largely functions as a spy network, an extension of the ISI agency.
15:08They have long sought to recruit Indian citizens in pursuit of their objectives. Young, old, I'm sure they have recruited in the past.
15:21But the point is, how can India counter such activities? Three things are important. India has to focus on three.
15:30Deterrence, detection, and public awareness. Public awareness is important because common citizens do not know much about espionage.
15:41They have to be made aware of how foreign intelligence agencies like the ISI might seek to recruit,
15:48especially people who are in some position. For example, academics, business leaders, individuals who have some standing in society.
16:01They can serve the interests, the work of a foreign intelligence agency. So creating public awareness is very important.
16:10Detection is very important. Detection is very important, which means the police have to work with intelligence agencies, with armed forces, and with cybersecurity folks.
16:21There has to be close coordination between different agencies. And deterrence. In India often we arrest somebody.
16:28Absolutely.
16:29And then we don't convict that person. The person languishes in jail for years without being put on trial, without being even formally charged. That doesn't create deterrence.
16:41Deterrence means you successfully prosecute somebody, you convict the person in a court of law, and you then thereby you send a message of deterrence to others so that others do not follow on the same path.
16:58But detaining a person and not successfully prosecuting the person does not send the right message of deterrence to others.
17:10No, you're right. You're right that they should see this case to the very end. Right now they're focused, of course, on identifying the entire ring and hopefully they will be able to weed out every single person who's involved in this racket.
17:22Mr. Brahmachalani, thank you very much for your time, sir. Thank you for joining us here on NewsTrack.
17:27Putting the focus really on Jyothi Malhotra, and Mr. Chalani made a point of ensuring that there's awareness, that people know what they're really getting into when they speak to the ISI or fall for these kind of tricks.
17:38So how did Jyothi Malhotra, seemingly normal 33-year-old girl from Hisar of Haryana, actually enter something like espionage, or at least that's the allegation against her?
17:49Let's break that down for you. The first name that emerges here, which we've been talking about through the course of our coverage here on India today, is Danish.
17:57His actual name is Ehsan Urrahim, but known as Danish. He's in fact been working in the Pakistan High Commission. He's an official in the Pakistan High Commission.
18:07Now, he actually was expelled a few days ago from India for espionage, declared persona non grata, and asked to immediately leave the country.
18:16That's where the investigation began. Then other names came up. The next name was Harkirat Singh, who is actually with a gurudwara,
18:24so organized these pilgrimage groups for Baisaki and for other festivals to Pakistan as well.
18:29So he knew Jyothi, and so he arranged the Pakistan visas for Jyothi. He even got Jyothi in touch with Danish.
18:37Now, according to what our sources tell us, they were actually also in an intimate relationship, Danish and Jyothi.
18:43There's another name here, details of whom we don't know at this point.
18:47This man, whose picture you see, is a Pakistan High Commission staffer. Name not known.
18:53But the reason he's also right now in the spotlight is because videos that Jyothi's put from the Pakistan High Commission during an iftar event, she's seen with this very man.
19:03There's also a video of him taking a cake into the Pakistan High Commission right after the Pahalgam attack.
19:08So there's a big question mark over him. But the others, Danish, declared persona non grata.
19:13Harkirat Singh detained. Jyothi Malhotra, of course, arrested.
19:16She's not the only one. There are several other accused as well.
19:19Again, all linked to Ehsan Ur-Rahim, to Danish. Let me break those down for you.
19:25There are about five accused so far who have been identified in this particular ring.
19:30There is Jyothi Malhotra, who I've been telling you about.
19:33But besides that, several other names. There's, in fact, there's Kuzala, accused number two.
19:40Accused number three, Arman. All of these people linked to Danish.
19:43How? Arman, for example, was cultivated by Danish to provide all logistical support
19:48and was trained to gather necessary information.
19:51So whenever they needed any details, they reached out to Arman.
19:54Devinder Singh Dhilno shared Potiala cantonment videos with Pakistan.
19:58And that set off alarm bells ringing among agencies who believe that maybe he shared sensitive details
20:03of Potiala cantonment. Were they planning an attack there?
20:06So something that's being looked into right now.
20:08Accused number five is another YouTuber.
20:11A friend of Jyothi Malhotra. She visited Pakistan with Jyothi.
20:15So she's under the scanner too from Odisha.
20:18She's issued a statement saying she had no idea what Jyothi was doing.
20:21But at this point, of course, the agencies are still looking into whether there was a probable role or not.
20:27But let's talk about all the others besides Jyothi Malhotra.
20:30This is a racket. Let's be very clear. A dozen people have been taken into custody, 12 in all.
20:37And many of them regular youngsters spread across the country with jobs in some cases, some of them unemployed.
20:44But it's worrying really the extent to which Pakistan has managed to reach all these people using social media.
20:50Across Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, investigators are uncovering how Pakistan's intelligence agencies are trying to turn civilians into covert assets.
21:01And so about 12 have been identified, more perhaps in the coming day's details in our next report about each of them.
21:08Jyothi Malhotra, the travel influencer who is being groomed by Pakistani intelligence agency ISI as an asset.
21:24From glorifying Pakistan's image through her YouTube channel to sharing sensitive information to communicating with park handlers during their stays in India, she did it all.
21:36But she wasn't alone. The espionage net has been widening by the day.
21:52Eleven arrests have been made across Punjab and Haryana.
21:56Jyothi was arrested after her associate, Ghazala, was held.
22:00Ghazala and Yameen Mohamad were the first two spies arrested by the Punjab police who revealed Pakistan High Commission staffer Dhanush's name.
22:09He helped them obtain park visas and transferred money to their accounts to funnel money to their espionage network.
22:16Thank you, thank you.
22:18Next is Arman from Noo, who supplied Indian SIM cards, rooted funds and visited strategic sites such as the Defence Expo 2025 on Dhanush's instructions.
22:29Tarif, the second arrest from Noo, who revealed that he was in contact with two individuals from the park embassy who had provided him with SIM cards and sent photographs of an airport to Pakistan.
22:42He refused.
22:43When people start, he did it all.
22:48He stopped hearing him in the restaurant.
22:51He then suddenly sent her to the bunk bed.
22:56He said that I will not work from the side of the side.
23:02You will no longer work from the side.
23:05We will give you 10000000Rs.
23:10We will give you 10000000Rs.
23:12I will go to the side of the side.
23:14As I said that I will go there.
23:16Then he told me that I will go to the side.
23:18He will give us some photos and videos.
23:2624-year-old Nauman Illahi from Kerana in UP, who worked as a factory security guard,
23:32was arrested for allegedly supplying sensitive information to ISI operatives.
23:37All his electronic equipment has been seized.
23:41On May 12, Devinder Singh from Haryana's Kaithal district was arrested for sending sensitive military information,
23:48including details of Operation Sindur, to Pakistan.
23:51The accused confessed that he visited Pakistan and met ISI handlers.
24:02These pictures that the internet can't stop talking about,
24:06where Jyoti Malhotra was seen posing with Tanish at the Iftar party at Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.
24:13Their modus operandi is clear.
24:15The arrests have revealed an orchestrated campaign by Pakistani intelligence
24:19to infiltrate Indian civil society through emotional manipulation,
24:24digital recruitment and covert financial transactions.
24:29Bureau Report, India Today.
24:34That's all. We have time for this edition of NewsTrack.
24:37Thanks very much for tuning in.
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