Never found her suspicious: Bengal YouTuber recalls meeting 'spy' Jyoti Malhotra

India Today

20-05-2025

A Kolkata-based YouTuber who met alleged Pakistani spy Jyoti Malhotra in the last one-and-a-half years and told India Today that "he never found her suspicious."YouTuber Soumit Bhattacharya met Jyoti, who had been arrested on charges of espionage for Pakistan, for the first time during Ayodhya Ram Mandir inauguration and then during her trips to West Bengal."I was shocked," said Soumit. "It was very shocking for me that someone from our community could do such a thing. But at the same time, I have full faith in all the agencies — be it NIA or Haryana Police — that whatever they're doing is right, and they will find out everything properly and give their verdict."advertisementThe two YouTubers first met in Ayodhya, just days before the inauguration of the Ram Temple. 'Ten days before the inauguration, I went to Ayodhya to shoot a video. At that time Jyoti was also there making content — covering the preparations, who was coming, what was happening. We had breakfast together. That was our first meeting,' Soumit said.Recalling their conversation during their first meeting, he said, "She once asked about a travel agent — like, who sponsored my trips to Sikkim or Andaman. She asked for references, just like any content creator might. We also talked about Kolkata buses, because I know a lot about them. It was all casual, like a YouTuber does to another YouTuber."Since then, the two of them stayed in touch.Soumit confirmed that Jyoti visited Kolkata twice after that and met him both times.advertisementHer latest visit was in February this year, when both of them were invited to a fellow youtuber's wedding.'We made a video together, had biryani, and then went to the wedding. Last year, she visited too, but it was a one-day trip. We met briefly and had biryani, this time in Park Circus,' he said."There was no suspicious activity," Bhattacharya emphasised. "If I had even one percent doubt that she was transferring information or anything like that, I would never have stayed in contact. She never asked me anything suspicious or questionable."Jyoti Malhotra was arrested on May 15 for allegedly passing on sensitive information to Pakistani operatives. She allegedly shared crucial information about Indian locations and was actively used to project a positive image of Pakistan on social media.As per sources, she was asked to push the pro-Pakistani narrative, which is a new form of warfare. She was allegedly given some other tasks which are being investigated. Apart from the narrative push, the police are also looking at if Malhotra had passed on sensitive military or non-military asset information.She has been charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Official Secrets Act, 1923. Her bank account details and electronic devices have been seized.Along with Jyoti, 10 other Indian nationals have been arrested in the past week for espionage. The network spanned majorly across Haryana and Punjab, with key operatives acting as agents, financial conduits and informants.Tune InMust Watch