Central agencies interrogate Hisar YouTuber

Central agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), have begun questioning travel vlogger and YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra over her suspected links with Pakistan-based handlers.

Police sources informed "The Tribune" that Jyoti had been in the custody of the Hisar CIA unit for five days since her arrest on May 16. "A team from the NIA has reached Hisar for her interrogation," said sources, adding that she might be taken to other locations for further questioning and identification of possible accomplices.

The Instagram account of the Hisar-based YouTuber has also been blocked following serious espionage allegations. She has been booked under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

According to the police, Jyoti had travelled to several sensitive and strategically significant locations in J&K shortly before the Pahalgam attack. Her YouTube content includes footage from high-security areas, such as Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Dal Lake and Pangong Lake, located near the Line of Actual Control with China.

Police sources said her visit in 2024, and again on January 5, 2025, had raised concerns with Intelligence agencies, placing her under surveillance.

Jyoti is the only child of her parents. Her father, Harish Malhotra, worked as a carpenter, while her uncle is a retired employee of the electricity department. The family resides in a modest 60-sq-yard house at New Agarsain Extension in Hisar. She had earlier worked as a receptionist at a private firm in Delhi, earning around Rs 20,000 per month, but returned to Hisar after losing her job during Covid.

The police searched her residence and seized several documents.

SP Shashank Kumar Sawan said Jyoti had also travelled to Pakistan shortly before the Pahalgam attack and was allegedly being cultivated by Pakistani agencies. During her visit, she met an individual named Danish. The FIR alleges that she shared sensitive information with handlers in Pakistan, posing a threat to national security.

Regarding her attendance at a Pakistan High Commission event, Sawan said while such participation was not unlawful, one must be mindful of the underlying motives. “Pakistan is not a normal country for us. Making multiple visits, socialising with them, remaining in contact during times of conflict, and exchanging favours is definitely an offence,” he said.

“So far, there is no evidence that she had access to classified information. Any person can only pass on information if they are in possession of such data,” he added.

Investigators are also reviewing her financial transactions and travel history. Preliminary findings suggest that her travel expenses exceeded her known sources of income, raising further suspicion about the funding of her trips. “She maintained contact with Pakistani intelligence officials during periods of heightened tension. Though she didn’t have direct access to defence secrets, the nature of her engagements remains questionable,” a source said.

Multiple teams, including cyber and financial investigators, are working on the case.

“People must understand that sharing information online can have national and international ramifications,” the SP said, adding that, “Modern warfare isn’t fought only on physical borders. Soft power—using influencers to shape public perception—is also a mode.”