Since the arrest of Haryana-based social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra for allegedly spying for Pakistan, some starting revelations have come into focus, including police finding that she was a ‘Pakistani asset’ in the making.
Jyoti Malhotra, who runs a YouTube channel ‘Travel with JO’, has travelled to Pakistan multiple times and uploaded videos from there. According to the police, she was being developed as a long-term asset, mainly for ‘narrative warfare’.
Jyoti Malhotra was also invited to parties at the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi, the videos of which are also available on her YouTube channel. The cops say she was inside the Pakistani information network. But the biggest question is, how was she lured into spying for the neighbouring nation?
The role of the expelled Pakistani diplomat
One name stands out in Jyoti Malhotra’s videos in the Pakistani High Commission: Danish. According to Hissar SP Shashank Kumar Sawan, she was allegedly in contact with a Pakistani officer stationed at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi during the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 civilians were killed. This is the same official who has since been declared persona non grata and expelled by India. The name, Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish.
Jyoti Malhotra’s 2023 visa application to Pakistan allegedly brought her into contact with Danish, who was a key figure at the High Commission before being declared persona non grata. She has told police that Danish befriended her in their first meeting, and they started talking over the phone.
Danish’s associate, Ali Ahwan, arranged her stay in Pakistan about two years ago, according to an FIR lodged at Civil Lines Police Station on May 16.
“In Pakistan, Ali Ahwan arranged a meeting with Pakistani security and intelligence officials, and I met Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. I took Shakir’s mobile number and saved it in my phone under the name of ‘Jat Randhawa’ to avoid suspicion. Then I came back to India and remained in constant touch with all the above people through platforms like WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Telegram, and started sharing information,” NDTV quoted Jyoti Malhotra telling officials.
Danish was expelled by the Indian government for alleged spying on May 13, three days after a ceasefire understanding was reached with Pakistan. Just days later, the Police nabbed Jyoti Malhotra.
The cops are now investigating the money trail and her alleged sponsored trips to Pakistan and China, where she reportedly got VIP treatment.
