The alleged spy vlogger

• Jyoti Rani, a 34-year-old YouTube vlogger, has been arrested by the Hisar Police on charges of espionage.

• Despite her popularity, her home in Haryana’s Hisar district is a quiet neighborhood inhabited by retired government employees, businessmen, and ex-servicemen.

• The Hisar Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Jyoti on May 16, citing her alleged closeness to officials of the Pakistan High Commission and her presence at social gatherings attended by the country’s elite.

• The Hisar Police believe Jyoti was lured by Pakistani intelligence with money, a luxurious lifestyle, and the prospect of establishing high-profile connections.

• Jyoti’s travels led to suspicions that she was being groomed as an asset by intelligence operatives in Pakistan.

• The police are investigating why she met them and what information was shared with them.

• Jyoti visited Pakistan and Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir before terrorists killed 26 tourists on April 22, leading to an escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan.

• No evidence of Jyoti sharing secret details with Pakistani intelligence officials or being in contact with any terrorist organization is yet to be found.

• The police expect the forensic examination report of her mobile phones and laptops to shed more light on the nature of the information shared by her with Pakistani intelligence officials.

Jyoti’s Unexpected Journey to India

• Jyoti, a Pakistani woman, moved to India from Multan in Pakistan and settled in Faridkot, Punjab. She graduated with an arts degree from Fateh Chand College for Women in Hisar.

• Despite being a good student, Jyoti was reluctant to pursue higher education and worked as a receptionist and teacher before moving to Delhi.

• Harish, a school dropout, claims he knew nothing about Jyoti’s job in Delhi apart from the fact she earned ₹15,000-16,000 a month.

• Jyoti lost her job during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown and returned to her father and uncle. She started editing’reels’ and was hardly with them in Hisar.

• On May 15, police personnel arrived at Jyoti’s house and took her passport.

• Jyoti was arrested and taken away her passport the next day.

• A FIR registered on May 16 states that Jyoti met Ehsan-Ur-Rahim alias Danish, an official at the Pakistan High Commission, in 2023.

• Jyoti met Ali Ahwan, who arranged for her stay and travel in Pakistan, and she stored Shakir and Rana Shahaz’s mobile number under the name Jat Randhawa.

• Jyoti was found in touch with Pakistan intelligence operatives and was detained for questioning Harkirat Singh, a resident of Ajrana village in Haryana’s Kurukshetra district.

• Harish has not met Jyoti since her arrest and refuses to believe the police and media’s claims.

• A Hisar court has appointed a government lawyer to represent Jyoti, and her police remand has been extended by four days.

Social Media Influencers in India’s Terrorism Investigation

• Haryana Police are expanding their investigation into social media content creators and travel vloggers.

• Home Secretary Sumita Mishra announced that more YouTube channels in Haryana are being probed.

• Two youths from Nuh and Kaithal and Panipat have been arrested on charges of spying and endangering the country’s sovereignty.

• YouTuber Priyanka Senapati, known for her travel videos, is also under investigation.

• The Puri Police in Odisha are examining the financial transactions of all family members of the woman who came in contact with Malhotra (Jyoti Rani).

• Social media influencers could play a pivotal role in creating a narrative that favors Pakistan and counters the Indian government’s stand.

• Experts suggest social media influencers could be exploiting them by vlogging near key infrastructure, setting up honey traps, befriending people in sensitive jobs, and posting geo-tagged pictures.

• Haryana-based freelance journalist Mandeep Punia criticizes the trend of creating narratives instead of presenting facts.