YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra remains in Hisar Police custody amid investigations into alleged contact with Pakistani operatives. Authorities are analysing seized devices, but no direct link to military, terror, or religious conversion has surfaced yet.
Hisar Police on Wednesday issued the first official press note in the case involving YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, arrested on May 16 under the Official Secrets Act and Section 152 of the BNS. The arrest followed intelligence inputs suggesting her contact with Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), raising serious national security concerns.
According to police, Malhotra was found in touch with some PIOs and had shared certain unspecified information. She is currently in police remand for five days. Several electronic devices, including three mobile phones and a laptop, have been seized and sent to a forensic lab for analysis. The results are awaited.
Police also called Harpreet, a visa agent from Kurukshetra, for questioning. While two of his mobile phones were taken for examination, Harpreet has not been formally arrested.
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The press note clarified that although central investigative agencies are periodically questioning Malhotra, she remains solely in the custody of Hisar Police and has not been handed over to any other agency so far.
Importantly, the investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Malhotra accessed or passed on military, defence, or strategic information. Police are also analysing her WhatsApp chats, but no conclusions have been drawn.
Authorities further stated that four of Malhotra’s bank accounts are under scrutiny, but any comment on financial transactions would be premature at this stage.
Responding to widespread speculation, police said that no evidence has been found linking Malhotra directly to any terrorist group or activity. Though she was in contact with some foreign nationals identified as PIOs, there is no direct evidence yet suggesting espionage or ideological conversion.
There is also no confirmation that she married any PIO or was involved in religious conversion activities. Her much-discussed diary, purportedly containing sensitive information, is not in police possession.
Hisar Police underscored that the case relates to national security and urged the media and public to exercise caution and restraint. The statement warned that speculative or misleading reporting could not only derail the investigation but also jeopardise national interests.
"The investigation is ongoing. Until forensic findings are available, no assumptions should be made. Please rely only on verified information," the police said.
