As part of a nationwide crackdown on espionage activities following the April 22 Pahalgam terror assault, 11 persons have been arrested on allegations of spying for Pakistan in various states over the course of three days.
The arrest of Jyoti Malhotra, a travel vlogger from Haryana, for allegedly disclosing private information was one of the most well-known. Students, a security guard, regular people, and an app developer are among the other suspects who were taken into custody.
Social media, financial incentives, false promises, chat applications, and in-person trips to Pakistan were all used to entice the accused into joining the espionage network. The utilisation of young people in their 20s and 30s and social media influencers in these networks has also brought attention to how espionage is changing and how seemingly innocent routes can be used to obtain intelligence. All the 11 arrests occurred in three states – Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
In addition to Jyoti Malhotra, police also detained Yameen Mohammad and Gazala, a 32-year-old widow from Malerkotla, Punjab, for allegedly exchanging information with Pakistani agents in return for cash. In money transactions and visa-related operations, the accused worked together with Danish, a former employee of the Pakistani High Commission. Danish was found to have met them often after their incarceration. They went to him to get visas to Pakistan. Additionally, he facilitated the internet transfer of funds to their cell phones. Their job was to funnel money to their espionage network.
Police claimed on Sunday that Jyoti Malhotra, a Hisar YouTuber, was being “developed as an asset”. She has no direct access to any defense-related intelligence, although she was in contact with Pakistani agents during the recent India-Pakistan crisis and maintains a YouTube channel called “Travel with Jo.” Prior to the Pahalgam terror assault, the YouTube influencer, who has 3.85 lakh subscribers, visited Pakistan three times: in 2023, 2024, and March 2025. She made touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, a Pakistani High Commission employee who had just been expelled by India. She is presently being held on police remand for five days. Jyoti Malhotra’s quick trips to Pakistan and Kashmir are also being investigated, especially to see if she was told to post travel videos with particular settings or subjects.
Devender Singh, a 25-year-old political science student from Khalsa College in Patiala, Punjab, was detained in Kaithal, Haryana, on suspicion of espionage for Pakistan. According to police, he was discovered to have given ISI agents private information, including images of the Patiala military base. At the time of his detention, Devender Singh was accused of posting pictures of firearms and handguns on Facebook. During questioning, it emerged that he visited Pakistan in November last year.
Alongside Jyoti Malhotra, a 26-year-old Nuh resident named Arman was also detained on suspicion of spying after he allegedly gave Pakistan access to classified information regarding the Indian Army and other military operations. From his phone, police were able to get recordings, images, and conversations sent to Pakistani numbers. Police claim that Arman was using WhatsApp to transmit Pakistan information about India’s military operations.
Tarif was the second Nuh resident to be taken into custody on suspicion of espionage. Tarif stated during interrogation that he had SIM cards from two people at the Pakistan Embassy and was in communication with them. He visited Pakistan on a regular basis. After a while, embassy staff told him to travel to Sirsa and send pictures of the airport. The interrogation is still going on.
Another accused spy, a 24-year-old man, was detained in Panipat, Haryana, on May 15 on suspicion of communicating with an ISI-affiliated agent in Pakistan. The suspect, Nauman Ilahi of Uttar Pradesh, is charged with providing Pakistan with vital information while he was employed as a factory security guard. Illahi, who lived in Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, has been to Pakistan several times. They have confiscated all of his technological devices.
In Jalandhar, Punjab, police detained Mohammad Murtaza Ali on suspicion of ISI espionage. He allegedly used a smartphone app he created himself to conduct espionage operations. According to the police, they confiscated three SIM cards and four cell phones from him.
A man named Shehzad was detained by the Uttar Pradesh ATS on suspicion of ISI espionage. On Saturday, Shehzad, who lives in the Rampur district, was arrested in Moradabad. According to investigations, Shehzad had visited Pakistan several times and was involved in the illicit cross-border trade of apparel, spices, cosmetics, and other items. According to investigators, his espionage efforts were concealed under the smuggling ring. He is charged with maintaining intimate relationships with several ISI agents and providing them with private and sensitive information pertaining to the security of India. According to officials, the accused was aiding ISI operations in India in addition to disseminating intelligence. Shehzad was taken from Moradabad to Lucknow and placed under 14 days of judicial detention.
Sukhpreet Singh was one of two individuals detained by the Punjab Police in Gurdaspur on suspicion of providing Pakistan with confidential information during Operation Sindoor. The accused “engaged in sharing classified details related to Operation Sindoor, including troop movements and key strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, with ISI,” according to Punjab Police Director General Gaurav Yadav. According to DIG Border Range Satinder Singh, the suspects were activated by the ISI following the Pahalgam terror assault, and their accounts were credited with Rs 1 lakh. The accused is reportedly between the ages of 19 and 20.
One of the two suspects apprehended in Gurdaspur, Karanbir Singh, was directly in communication with ISI handlers during the same operation and had sent vital intelligence about the Indian military, according to DGP Gaurav Yadav. DIG Border Range Satinder Singh sai the accused had been sharing information for the last 15-20 days and were also involved in drug smuggling. An FIR was registered against Sukhpreet and Karanbir under the stringent Official Secrets Act.
