Lucknow– In a major development following the arrest of Haryana-based YouTuber and travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra on espionage charges, the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a businessman from Rampur for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The suspect, identified as Shahzad, was taken into custody in Moradabad after intelligence inputs linked him to cross-border smuggling and espionage operations on behalf of Pakistan. Authorities allege that Shahzad had been transmitting sensitive national security information to ISI handlers based in Pakistan.
According to an STF statement, Shahzad had traveled to Pakistan multiple times in recent years under the guise of conducting business. He was reportedly engaged in smuggling goods such as cosmetics, clothing, and spices across the border. However, officials say this trade served as a cover for his covert intelligence activities.
Investigators further allege that Shahzad not only shared strategic intelligence with Pakistani agents but also facilitated their operations within India. He is accused of supplying Indian SIM cards and funds to ISI operatives active in the country.
In addition, Shahzad is believed to have helped recruit and send individuals from Rampur and other parts of Uttar Pradesh to Pakistan, where they were reportedly engaged by the ISI. These individuals’ visas were allegedly arranged by Pakistani intelligence agents.
Based on the findings, an FIR (No. 04/25) has been filed under Sections 148 and 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the ATS police station in Lucknow.
This arrest follows closely on the heels of the detention of Jyoti Malhotra, who was taken into custody by Haryana Police last week along with five others for allegedly leaking sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence. Malhotra, a travel blogger who visited Pakistan twice in 2023, is currently in police remand for five days as investigators probe her connections to a wider espionage network spanning Haryana and Punjab.
According to the FIR, Malhotra visited the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023, where she met Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, a Pakistani High Commission staffer. She is alleged to have provided him with sensitive data on Indian military locations and movements while also promoting pro-Pakistan narratives through her social media platforms.
Danish was recently declared persona non grata and expelled from India on May 13. He reportedly introduced Malhotra to multiple Pakistani intelligence operatives. Authorities claim she was in a personal relationship with one of them and had even traveled with him to Bali, Indonesia.
During Danish’s posting in Delhi, Malhotra was said to be in regular contact with him. She is believed to have met with Pakistani intelligence officers during her visits to Pakistan and shared classified information related to India’s defense operations. (Source: IANS)
