Chandigarh: The Haryana Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed a nearly 2,500-page chargesheet in a Hisar court against YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on May 16 on suspicion of espionage for Pakistan. Malhotra, who ran the travel channel “Travel with Jo,” is accused of maintaining close ties with Pakistani intelligence operatives and sharing sensitive information with them over a sustained period.

According to the chargesheet, investigators claim that Malhotra initially began her work as a routine YouTuber, travelling and creating blogs. However, things allegedly changed after a visit to Pakistan, where she reportedly came into contact with intelligence handlers. Following this, she is said to have established regular communication with Pakistani agents.

Police sources revealed that a digital forensic examination of her phone uncovered extensive chats with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish Ali, a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Danish, declared persona non grata and expelled by the Indian government on May 13, is alleged to have introduced Malhotra to several ISI-linked operatives, including Shakir, Hasan Ali, and Nasir Dhillon.

The chargesheet further states that Malhotra not only shared classified information about Indian locations but also actively worked to build a pro-Pakistan image on social media. Investigators added that she developed an intimate relationship with one of the intelligence operatives and even travelled to Bali, Indonesia, with him.

Her alleged links were first flagged in the First Information Report (FIR), which mentioned her visit to the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023, where she met Danish and came under close watch of Indian security agencies.

Based on these findings, Malhotra has been charged under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, which deal with espionage and handling state secrets, along with Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges were formally registered on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Bijender Singh at the Civil Lines Police Station in Hisar.

Her lawyer, Kumar Mukesh, said the defence will respond legally only after studying the detailed chargesheet, emphasising that the allegations will be contested in court.

The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on August 18.

With inputs from IANS