At least six people have been arrested — three in Haryana, two in Punjab and one in Uttar Pradesh — on suspicion of espionage. They were accused of “spying” for Pakistan as tensions escalated between India and Pakistan over the last month. Here’s all you need to know about the four “Pakistani spies”:
1. Jyoti Malhotra
Jyoti Malhotra, a YouTuber with millions of followers, was arrested by the Haryana Police from Hisar for allegedly spying for Pakistani agencies. Her YouTube channel and Instagram account have 3.77 lakh subscribers and 1.33 lakh followers respectively
Jyoti Malhotra was interrogated for allegedly passing information to the Pakistani side. She allegedly met a Pakistani officer, Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, in Delhi, travelled to Pakistan twice, and shared sensitive information.
She was allegedly in touch with a Pakistani officer posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi during the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan that followed the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, an officer was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
Police said that Pakistani intelligence operatives were allegedly developing Jyoti Malhotra as an “asset”.
2. Devendra
Devendra, a resident of Mastgarh Cheeka village in Kaithal, Haryana, was also arrested for allegedly passing information to the Pakistan army and ISI during the recent India-Pakistan conflict.
3. Armaan
26-year-old Armaan was arrested in Haryana’s Nuh on Saturday (May 17). Police accused him of sharing information related to the Indian Army and other military activities with Pakistan through an employee posted at the High Commission of Pakistan in Delhi.
4. Shahzad
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a suspected Pakistani spy in Tanda town of UP’s Rampur on Sunday. He was accused of working for the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence).
Shahzad is from Moradabad, the ATS was quoted by news agency ANI as saying. He allegedly smuggled cosmetics, clothes, spices and other goods illegally across the India-Pakistan border.
“Under the guise of smuggling, he worked for the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI,” the Uttar Pradesh ATS said on Sunday. “Shahzad has shared confidential information related to India’s security with the agents of ISI,” the ATS said in a statement.
5. Two suspects arrested in Punjab
The Punjab Police arrested two persons, including a woman, from Malerkotla district in Punjab for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to a Pakistani official posted at the High Commission.
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said a suspect was arrested for leaking sensitive information regarding Indian Army movements to a Pakistan-based handler.
A second conduit was also identified and taken into custody, police said. The identity of the two suspects were not revealed.