CHANDIGARH: A court in Hisar today extended the police remand of the 33-year-old YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra by four days as she has been arrested for charges of sharing sensitive information with Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs).
She was arrested on suspicion of espionage and was produced before the court at the end of her five-day police remand.
The police brought Jyoti to the court of Sunil Kumar, Civil Judge (Junior Division), amid tight security. The courtroom door was closed and no one was allowed to go inside, with three police personnel stationed outside. The movement of lawyers and visitors was also briefly affected due to the high security.
Later, Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan told the media that the police had secured four more days of custody for further investigation.
He added that Jyoti had shared information with PIO, which was a crime. But he declined to share any further information about the ongoing investigation or her statements during interrogation.
Hisar police spokesman Vikas Kumar said that the remand extension was sought as the forensic analysis of Jyoti’s laptop, electronic gadgets and three mobile phones is underway.
Besides the three phones and the laptop, the police have sent two mobile phones of Harkirat Singh, the Kurukshetra-based agent who facilitated her trip to Pakistan, to the forensic laboratory for analysis.
The police have not allowed Jyoti’s father, Harish Malhotra, to meet her yet.
She has been booked under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The National Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau, and military intelligence officials have also questioned her and investigations have revealed that she visited Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and some other countries. The police had said Pakistani intelligence operatives were developing Jyoti as an asset.
Police sources had said she was in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission, since November 2023. India expelled Danish on May 13 for allegedly indulging in espionage.
