Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials and Puri Police on Sunday quizzed Puri-based YouTuber Priyanka Senapati over her alleged association with vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, who has been arrested for charges of spying for Pakistan.

Sources told news agency UNI that Malhotra visited Puri in September 2024, and Priyanka, who had a professional relationship with her, had accompanied her to several locations in the pilgrim town.

Senapati has reportedly issued a statement and said her relationship with Jyoti was purely professional and was limited to content creation.

Puri Superintendent of Police Vinit Agrawal informed reporters that the investigation into the matter is currently ongoing.

Malhotra-Spying-Pakistan

A resident of Hisar, Malhotra was arrested last week for allegedly passing sensitive information related to India’s military to Pakistan.

Her detention follows closely on the heels of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed over 25 civilian lives.

From Haryana travel influencer to alleged spy

Jyoti’s YouTube channel and Instagram profile have 3.77 lakh subscribers and 1.33 lakh followers, respectively.

She is accused of being in contact with a Pakistani official based at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. On May 13, India expelled that official for alleged involvement in espionage.

According to a report by news agency PTI, Malhotra met Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish at the High Commission in 2023 while applying for a visa to Pakistan, as mentioned in an FIR lodged at Civil Lines Police Station on May 16.

Following her interaction with Danish, she was introduced to his associate, Ali Ahwan, who facilitated her stay in Pakistan.

The FIR states that Ahwan also arranged her meetings with Pakistani security and intelligence operatives, including individuals identified as Shakir and Rana Shahbaz.

To avoid detection, Malhotra allegedly saved Shahbaz’s contact under the name ‘Jatt Randhawa’.