SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Police have joined the growing list of state police forces seeking to interrogate Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested recently on charges of espionage for Pakistan, according to media reports.
Malhotra, who ran a travel vlog under the YouTube channel Travel with Joe, is currently in the custody of Hisar Police, which initially secured a five-day remand and later obtained a four-day extension from a local court to continue the interrogation. Rajasthan Police are also part of the investigation and, like their Jammu and Kashmir counterparts, have dispatched a team to Hisar to question the accused.
Malhotra is alleged to have been in contact with a Pakistani intelligence operative (PIO), a claim made by Hisar Police soon after her arrest. Authorities have said they are awaiting forensic analysis of her mobile phone and laptop, the results of which are expected in a day or two and are believed to be crucial for the case.
According to reports, police interest from multiple states stems from Malhotra’s extensive travel and video documentation of various sensitive and historic locations across India, including the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan, Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and the Attari border in Punjab. Her travel logs also include locations in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, as well as international destinations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Indonesia, and Dubai.
Her father, Harish Malhotra, has expressed concern over the prolonged detention of his daughter. “When nothing came out of the first five days of remand, why has she been sent back into custody for another four days?” he asked. Claiming his daughter’s innocence, he said he lacks the financial means to defend her and has appealed to the government to provide legal assistance.
While no official details have been released about what has emerged from the ongoing interrogation, officials maintain that the investigation is still at a crucial stage. The outcome of the forensic reports is likely to shape the next steps of the case.
Meanwhile, police teams from Punjab and West Bengal are also expected to arrive in Hisar in the coming days, further widening the scope of the investigation into what began as a local arrest and has now turned into a multi-state inquiry involving potential national security implications.
