What YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra’s father said after meeting her on Day 1 of judicial custody
Father Harish Malhotra, visibly emotional after meeting his daughter, told the media that Jyoti Malhotra had insisted she was innocent.
Harish Malhotra, father of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who has been accused of spying for Pakistan, visited her at Hisar’s Central Jail No. 2 on Tuesday – her first day in judicial custody.
Harish Malhotra, visibly emotional after meeting his daughter, told the media that Jyoti had insisted she was innocent. “She told me she has done nothing wrong,” he said. He chose not to go into more details, The Times of India reported.
Jyoti Malhotra was among the 12 people arrested from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh over the past three weeks on suspicion of espionage, with investigators suspecting the presence of a Pakistan-linked spy network operating in north India.
Also Read | YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was aware her Pakistani friends were ISI operatives, says police
The Hisar native ran a YouTube channel – "Travel with JO". She was arrested at the New Aggarsain Extension recently and booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
On Monday, a court in Hisar remanded Jyoti Malhotra to judicial custody after the end of her police remand in a case of alleged espionage.
{{/usCountry}}On Monday, a court in Hisar remanded Jyoti Malhotra to judicial custody after the end of her police remand in a case of alleged espionage.
{{/usCountry}}The 33-year-old travel influencer was produced in the court. A police spokesperson said they did not seek her further remand after which the court sent her to jail.
{{/usCountry}}The 33-year-old travel influencer was produced in the court. A police spokesperson said they did not seek her further remand after which the court sent her to jail.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was in contact with 4 Pakistani operatives, cops reveal
Jyoti Malhotra's mobile phones, laptop sent for forensic exam
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was in contact with 4 Pakistani operatives, cops reveal
Jyoti Malhotra's mobile phones, laptop sent for forensic exam
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, data from Jyoti's three mobile phones and a laptop, which had been sent for forensic examination, has been recovered, police sources said on Monday.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, data from Jyoti's three mobile phones and a laptop, which had been sent for forensic examination, has been recovered, police sources said on Monday.
{{/usCountry}}“Nearly 10-12 terabytes of data has been recovered. Further investigation in this regard is under progress,” they said.
{{/usCountry}}“Nearly 10-12 terabytes of data has been recovered. Further investigation in this regard is under progress,” they said.
{{/usCountry}}After her arrest, the police had sent her three mobile phones and a laptop for forensic examination. Malhotra's four bank accounts are also being examined.
The court had extended Malhotra's police remand by four days when the YouTuber -- arrested on suspicion of espionage -- was last week produced before the court at the end of her five-day police remand.
What Haryana Police said about Jyoti Malhotra
The Hisar police had said no evidence had emerged to indicate Jyoti had access to any military or defence related information.
Also Read | YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, accused of spying for Pakistan, sent to judicial custody
But she was definitely in contact with some people, knowing that they were Pakistani intelligence operatives, they had said.
Police sources had said she was in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani high commission, since November 2023. India expelled Danish on May 13 for allegedly indulging in espionage.
The National Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau, and military intelligence officials have also questioned Jyoti.
Investigations have revealed that she visited Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and some other countries.
She was also allegedly in touch with Danish during the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan that followed the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, they had said.
(With inputs from agencies)
