BHUBANESWAR: Even as Puri-based YouTuber Priyanka Senapati was interrogated by multiple agencies for the third consecutive day on Monday over her alleged links with Jyoti Malhotra, nothing suspicious has emerged against her so far.
“As it is a sensitive case, Priyanka is being interrogated thoroughly and every aspect of her association with Jyoti is under scrutiny. So far, nothing suspicious has been found but the investigation is still progressing to ensure that we are not missing on any minutest detail which can indicate her involvement with Jyoti in any wrongdoing,” said a senior police officer.
Police sources said Priyanka’s laptop, her mobile phone and social media accounts are being examined. Besides, police are also probing her and her father Rajkishore Senapati’s bank accounts for any unusual or suspicious transactions.
Rajkishore runs a restaurant and the source of money through which he started the business is also being verified, they added. Meanwhile, Priyanka reportedly told the investigators that she was a big admirer of Jyoti, who has been arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan, and wanted to be a popular social media influencer like the latter.
Priyanka was keen to raise subscribers on YouTube: Cops
She wanted to increase her own subscribers significantly by associating with Jyoti. Priyanka runs a YouTube channel named Prii_vlogs and has little over 14,000 subscribers which is far too less than Jyoti’s channel - Travel with Jo with 3.87 lakh subscribers.
The 21-year-old had reportedly come in contact with Jyoti last year through YouTube. The duo had met for the first time during Jyoti’s visit to Puri in September. They developed a bond and visited many places together subsequently.
Sources said the state intelligence as well as Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers and Puri police are simultaneously interrogating Priyanka over her links with Jyoti.
“During questioning, Priyanka revealed that she was aware about Jyoti’s connections with Pakistani government officials but claimed that she did not know that the latter was spying for them,” said sources. Priyanka is also being questioned about her trips with Jyoti to various places including Jammu and Kashmir, said sources.