Pak retired cop linked to Jyoti Malhotra spy case: New espionage network uncovered

New Delhi: Fresh revelations in the ongoing espionage case involving Indian YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra have exposed her direct connection with a retired Pakistani police officer, Sub-Inspector Nasir Dhillon, now suspected of running covert operations for Pakistan’s intelligence services.

According to intelligence sources, Malhotra was in personal contact with Dhillon and had even featured with him in a podcast episode during one of her earlier visits to Pakistan. Dhillon, who runs a YouTube channel post-retirement, initially presented himself as a peace activist promoting cultural exchange between India and Pakistan. 

However, investigators now allege that this image was a front for deeper involvement with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Dhillon is believed to have used his platform to reach out to Indian YouTubers, gradually grooming them and introducing them to ISI operatives to gather sensitive information about Indian defence and security installations.

Malhotra, 36, is suspected to have been one such recruit in the digital spy network. Her arrest on May 16 under the Official Secrets Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita came after a series of interrogations by local police and central intelligence agencies.

Sources further revealed Dhillon’s links to Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani High Commission staffer in New Delhi who was expelled by India on May 13 for suspected espionage. Investigators say there is credible evidence linking Dhillon and Danish, indicating a broader espionage network operating under diplomatic cover.

Malhotra is one of 12 individuals arrested so far across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh as part of a larger crackdown on an emerging spy ring that allegedly targets Indian digital influencers to collect intelligence.