India cracks down on Pakistan-linked 'spy ring', at least 12 arrested

India has launched a major crackdown on a suspected Pakistan-linked spy network in the northern states, arresting at least 12 people over the past two weeks. Among those held is a well-known YouTuber, Jyoti Malhotra.

The arrests were made across the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. This comes amid growing security concerns following the Pahalgam terror attack by Islamabad-backed terrorists, and India’s response through Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror hubs at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

According to a report from Times of India, two women, Haryana-based influencer Jyoti Malhotra and 31-year-old Guzala from Punjab, were in contact with a Pakistani intelligence officer named Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, who was posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. India expelled Rehman on 13 May over allegations of spying.

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Among the first to be arrested were Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih from Amritsar, taken into custody on 4 May for allegedly sending photographs and information about army cantonments and airbases near the Pakistan border to ISI agents.

Arrests from Malerkotla, Gurdaspur, Panipat

More arrests followed on 11 May, including Yameen Mohammad from Malerkotla, who was reportedly paid through UPI transfers for sharing sensitive military information.

On 13 May, two more men, Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh from Gurdaspur, were detained. They were accused of leaking details about troop movements during Operation Sindoor and sharing information on strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Weapons and electronic devices were also seized during the arrests.

In Haryana, 24-year-old Nauman Ilahi was arrested in Panipat on 15 May for allegedly passing information to Pakistan. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Ilahi was reportedly in contact with an ISI handler. The following day, police arrested Devender Singh, a postgraduate student from Kaithal, who had travelled to Pakistan in November 2023 and was said to be in contact with four Pakistani operatives.

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UP ATS makes arrests from Rampur

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a man named Shahzad from Rampur for spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He was apprehended in Moradabad following an investigation into his involvement in cross-border smuggling and anti-national activities.

ATS officials stated that Shahzad, son of Abdul Wahab and resident of House No. 135, Mohalla Azad Nagar, Tanda, Rampur, had been frequently travelling to Pakistan over several years. Under the guise of smuggling goods such as cosmetics, clothes, and spices between India and Pakistan, he was allegedly operating as a spy for the ISI.

YouTuber arrested for alleged ties with Pakistani intelligence

YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra , who runs the ‘Travel with JO’ channel with over 3.7 lakh subscribers, was arrested on 16 May in Hisar. Her videos include titles such as “Indian Girl in Pakistan” and “Indian Girl Exploring Lahore”. Police said she met Danish, the Pakistani official, at the Pakistan High Commission in 2023 while applying for a visa. According to Hisar SP Shashank Kumar Sawan, she was being “developed as an asset” by Pakistani intelligence officers during the military tensions following Operation Sindoor.