 "Pakistani travel agent Naushaba Shahzad Masood is linked to spying activities in India. News18 India")
A Pakistani businesswoman’s name has emerged in the espionage cases linked to Indian YouTubers. ‘Madam N’ reportedly helped social media influencers travel to her country with the aim of setting up a spy network in India.
India has recently arrested some social media influencers on suspicion of spying for Pakistan. Weeks after YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest, the Punjab Police’s State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) arrested Jasbir Singh from Mohali on Tuesday for his alleged involvement in a Pakistan-backed espionage ring.
Is ‘Madam N’ linked to them?
Let’s take a closer look.
Who is ‘Madam N’?
Pakistani businesswoman Naushaba Shahzad Masood, who runs a ’travel agency’ in Lahore, is reportedly linked to the country’s spy agency – the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
She is the owner of Jaiyana Travel and Tourism in Pakistan. Masood’s husband is a retired civil services officer, as per a News18 India report.
What is her role?
Known as ‘Madam N’ by the ISI, Naushaba Masood is suspected of trying to develop a sleeper cell network in India through social influencers and YouTubers.
Masood’s name cropped up during the interrogation of social media influencers arrested in India on espionage charges, NDTV reported, citing sources.
She allegedly helped Jyoti Malhotra and other Indians to visit Pakistan. The YouTuber had travelled to Pakistan multiple times, including days before the Pahalgam terror attack.
Masood attempted to build a network of at least 500 spies in India who could hide in plain sight. She got instructions from the Pakistani Army and the ISI on how to establish the sleeper cell network.
Masood used to target Hindus and Sikhs living in India. As per NDTV sources, she introduced Indian influencers to her country’s army and the ISI.
The businesswoman facilitated the visit of nearly 3,000 Indians and 1,500 non-resident Indians (NRIs) to Pakistan in the last six months.
Her contacts at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi helped her in getting visas approved immediately, as per News18. She was in touch with First Secretary (visa) Suhail Qamar and Counsellor (trade) Umar Sheryar and ISI operative Danish alias Ehsan-ur-Rehman .
Danish, who was in contact with Jyoti Malhotra, was a visa officer in the Pakistani embassy in Delhi. He was declared persona non grata on May 13 by the Indian government on suspicion of spying.
As per NDTV, the Pakistani High Commission has been issuing visitor visas on the suggestion and sponsorship of ‘Madam N’.
Masood appointed some travel agents in Delhi and other Indian cities, who now promote her company on social media. These agents are allegedly involved in brainwashing people to indulge in espionage activities on behalf of the Pakistani Army.
Notably, Masood’s agency was the only one that organised Sikh and Hindu pilgrimages to Pakistan, in collaboration with the Evacuee Trust Property Board.
Indian YouTubers arrest
Jyoti Rani Malhotra, a travel vlogger from Haryana, was among 11 individuals arrested across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh last month in connection with a suspected Pakistan-backed spy network operating in North India. She was allegedly spying for Pakistani intelligence agencies and shared “sensitive information” with an official of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.
Earlier this week, the Punjab Police arrested YouTuber Jasbir Singh, who is allegedly linked to Shakir alias Jutt Randhawa, a Pakistani intelligence operative associated with the ISI.
Singh, who ran the YouTube channel ‘JaanMahal video’, was in touch with fellow YouTuber Malhotra. He was also in regular contact with Danish, the former official at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.
With inputs from agencies