In a major security operation, Indian intelligence agencies have busted an espionage network with the arrest of a popular female YouTuber and a college student in Haryana. Both are accused of leaking confidential military information to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).The prime accused, Jyoti Rani, also known as Jyoti Malhotra, was arrested in Hisar. She runs a YouTube travel vlog named "Travel with Jo" with over 377,000 subscribers.
Authorities allege that Jyoti visited Pakistan in 2023 under the guise of travel content creation but was introduced to ISI operatives by Ahsan-ur-Raheem, alias Danish, an officer at the Pakistani High Commission. Danish had previously been expelled from India and declared persona non grata for espionage activities.
During her multiple trips to Pakistan, Jyoti reportedly met with Pakistani intelligence officers and began supplying them with sensitive information on Indian military installations and movements. She allegedly used encrypted messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat to maintain communication and even stored ISI contacts under fake names in her phone to avoid detection. Videos from her Pakistan trip remain accessible on her YouTube channel, currently under review by authorities.
In a related incident, 25-year-old Devender Dhillon, a resident of Mastgarh Cheeka village in Kaithal district, was also arrested on espionage charges. Devender, a postgraduate student at Khalsa College, Patiala, allegedly came in contact with ISI agents during a religious trip to Kartarpur Sahib. According to police, he provided strategic details, including updates on "Operation Sindoor"—a recent Indian military retaliation against terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following a deadly attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, that killed 25 civilians.
Devender had drawn local attention through social media posts featuring firearms and controversial remarks praising Pakistan. Investigators have charged him under the National Security Act (NSA) and sections related to sedition. His electronic devices have been seized for forensic examination.
Authorities believe both suspects were part of a larger ISI-backed espionage ring operating in northern India, with six arrests made across Haryana and Punjab so far. National security agencies have intensified surveillance and counterintelligence operations in response to the recent revelations.
Investigations are ongoing to uncover the full extent of the intelligence leak and identify additional collaborators.