Pak Espionage Network Busted in India
YouTuber, Widows, Students and Agents Among Six Arrested
Love, Money and Visas Used to Trade Sensitive Information
NEW DELHI, MAY 17: A major espionage network linked to Pakistan has been busted with the arrest of six Indian nationals, including a Haryana-based travel blogger. The accused are charged with sharing sensitive information and assisting Pakistani operatives through financial and digital channels, using emotional manipulation, money, and promises of marriage.
Among the arrested is Jyoti Malhotra, who ran a YouTube travel channel titled Travel with Jo. Authorities revealed she visited Pakistan in 2023 using a visa arranged through commission agents. During her trip, she established close contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Danish has now been expelled from India and declared persona non grata on May 13, 2025.
Danish allegedly introduced Jyoti to several Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs). She remained in contact with them through encrypted apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. Notably, she saved the number of a handler named Shakir alias Rana Shahbaz as “Jatt Randhawa”. Jyoti is accused of providing sensitive location-based information and helping project a positive image of Pakistan online. Investigators have also uncovered that she developed an intimate relationship with one of the PIOs and even traveled with him to Bali, Indonesia.
She has been charged under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. A written confession has been obtained, and the case has been transferred to the Economic Offences Wing in Hisar.
Another key accused is Guzala, a 32-year-old widow from Malerkotla, Punjab. She met Danish at the Pakistan High Commission on February 27, 2025, during a visa visit. Danish persuaded her to switch to Telegram for communication and gained her trust by initiating a romantic relationship and promising marriage. He later sent her money through digital payments — Rs 10,000 via PhonePe and Rs 20,000 via Google Pay — and instructed her to transfer parts of it to other recipients.
On April 23, Guzala returned to the Pakistan High Commission with her friend Banu Nasreena, also a widow. Both received visas arranged by Danish.
Other arrests include Yameen Mohd from Malerkotla, who managed financial dealings; Devinder Singh Dhillon, a Sikh student from Kaithal, Haryana, who was recruited during a religious pilgrimage to Pakistan and sent videos of the Patiala cantonment; and Arman from Nuh, Haryana, who supplied Indian SIM cards, transferred funds, and visited the Defence Expo 2025 on instructions from PIOs.
Officials say the case is part of a larger strategy by Pakistani agencies to exploit emotionally and economically vulnerable individuals. By offering money, affection, and travel opportunities, operatives allegedly turned civilians into informants. All accused have confessed their involvement, and further investigations are ongoing.
