12 alleged spies held so far in Punjab, Haryana, UP

Chandigarh/Lucknow: At least 12 people, including a YouTuber, have been nabbed from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh on charges of espionage over the last two weeks, with investigations pointing to an alleged Pakistan-linked spy network operating in north India, police said.

While six of them have been held from Punjab, five were nabbed from neighbouring Haryana, and one from Uttar Pradesh.

The arrests took place in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor, officials said.

Among those arrested, two women -- YouTuber from Haryana Jyoti Malhotra, whose YouTube channel and Instagram accounts have 3.77 lakh subscribers and 1.33 lakh followers, and 31-year-old Guzala from Punjab -- were allegedly in touch with Pakistani officer Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

On May 13, India expelled the Pakistani official for allegedly indulging in espionage.

Police investigations have so far revealed that the accused were allegedly passing on sensitive information to Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), officials said, adding that a probe into their financial transactions and forensic analysis of their electronic devices were also underway.

In addition to the arrests made from Punjab and Haryana, an alleged agent of Pakistan's intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur on Sunday by the state's Special Task Force.

On May 4, Punjab Police arrested Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih -- both residents of Ajnala in Amritsar -- for their alleged role in leaking sensitive information and photographs of army cantonment areas and air bases in the border district to ISI.

Both were allegedly involved in collecting and transmitting crucial information such as the army's movements, locations of BSF camps and airports, photographs, and other sensitive data to their handlers in Pakistan, police said.

Two more people were arrested by the Punjab Police on May 11 for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to Pakistani official Danish posted at the High Commission in Delhi.

The accused were identified as 31-year-old Guzala and Yameen Mohamad, both residents of Malerkotla. They were receiving online payments in exchange for sharing classified information, a police investigation revealed.

During questioning, Guzala allegedly confessed to having shared the confidential information about activities of the Indian Army with the Pakistani official posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.

Guzala further revealed that she was doing it for money and the accused official had sent her Rs 30,000 in two transactions – Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 -- via UPI (unified payment interface), he added.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav on Monday said two more men were arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive military information with Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI.

The two have been identified as Sukhpreet Singh, a native of Adiyan village in Gurdaspur, and Karanbir Singh, a native of Chandu Wadala in Gurdaspur.

Police recovered three mobile phones and eight live cartridges of .30 bore from their possession.

Yadav said that the Gurdaspur police arrested them for being involved in leaking sensitive military information, such as troop movements during Operation Sindoor, and revealing key strategic locations in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, to their ISI handlers.

"During the investigation, it was also discovered that they were previously involved in drug smuggling activities, through which they came into contact with ISI handlers. Their financial transactions, including online and cash dealings, also came under scrutiny," Gurdaspur SSP Aditya said.

The Haryana Police, on May 15, arrested 24-year-old Nauman Ilahi from the Panipat district for allegedly supplying sensitive information to some individuals in Pakistan.

The native of Kairana in Uttar Pradesh was also in touch with a Pakistan-based ISI handler, as per police investigation.

Ilahi worked as a factory security guard and was living with his sister and brother-in-law in Panipat's Hali Colony.

A day after his arrest, Haryana Police arrested a 25-year-old post-graduate student in Kaithal for allegedly having links with PIOs.

Devender Singh, from Kaithal district's Guhla area, was arrested for allegedly uploading photos on social media with weapons.

During the investigation, it was learnt that Singh, who was pursuing a Master's degree in political science from a college in Punjab, had gone to Pakistan on pilgrimage in November last year.

During the visit, he allegedly came in contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives and remained in touch with them even after his return. Police said that Singh has allegedly admitted to sending some photos of the Patiala cantonment by clicking pictures from outside.

Haryana Police on May 16 arrested Hisar-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra on the charge of passing on sensitive information to PIOs.

Malhotra, who runs a YouTube channel 'Travel with JO', was arrested in New Aggarsain Extension in Hisar. She has been booked under the sections of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Haryana Police said.

Jyoti allegedly was in contact with Pakistani staffer Danish.

Her YouTube channel account shows some videos on her visit to Pakistan - 'Indian Girl in Pakistan', 'Indian Girl Exploring Lahore', 'Indian Girl at Katas Raj Temple' and 'Indian Girl Rides Luxury Bus in Pakistan'.

In 2023, Jyoti came in contact with Danish at the Pakistan High Commission, where she went to seek a visa to visit the neighbouring nation, according to an FIR lodged at the Civil Lines police station, Hisar.

Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan on Sunday said PIOs were developing Malhotra as an asset. She was allegedly in touch with Danish during the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor, Sawan said.

Malhotra has been taken on a five-day police remand, he said.

"This is also (a kind of) warfare, in which they try to push their narrative by recruiting influencers," Sawan said.

Malhotra was in touch with PIOs, and she visited Pakistan "multiple times" and China once, according to the police.

Her financial transactions and travel details are being investigated.

On Sunday, Haryana Police said it had arrested a 26-year-old man from the Nuh district on charges of spying for Pakistan.

Armaan was arrested on Saturday for allegedly sharing information related to the Indian Army and other military activities with Pakistan through an employee posted at the High Commission of Pakistan in Delhi, police said.

Armaan, who is on a six-day police remand, was allegedly sharing the information for a long time through WhatsApp and social media platforms.

Nuh Police, in a joint operation with a central agency, on Monday also arrested a local quack for allegedly spying for Pakistan.

The man has been identified as Mohammad Tarif, a native of the Kangarka village in the Nuh district. He is accused of leaking intelligence information on military activities to Pakistan.

Mohammad Tarif has allegedly confessed to giving a SIM card to an employee at the Pakistan High Commission and going to Pakistan, they added.

A case has been registered against him and two Pakistani citizens -- Asif Baloch and Zafar -- posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi under Section 152 of the BNS and sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act at the Sadar Tauru Police Station.

The Moradabad Special Task Force arrested one Shahzad from Rampur on Sunday, following inputs about his alleged involvement in cross-border smuggling and espionage activities for the ISI.

The STF said that Shahzad was allegedly passing sensitive information related to national security to his handlers.

He travelled to Pakistan several times over the years and was allegedly smuggling cosmetics, clothes, spices, and other items across the border, the agency alleged.