Jaipur: Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, arrested on charges of alleged espionage for Pakistan, had also filmed Munabao railway station near the Indo-Pakistan border in Barmer, Rajasthan.
On January 1, 2024, Jyoti posted a 24-minute video showcasing her train journey from Barmer to Munabao, where she reportedly revealed strategic maps, station details, proximity to military installations, and distances from the international border—information considered sensitive from a national security standpoint.
Officials have said that administrative clearance is mandatory for filming in Munabao, and it is currently under investigation whether she obtained any such permission.
Sources said that Jyoti also spent a night in Jhelun village, located right on the Indo-Pakistan border in Barmer, and uploaded a video of the visit on January 5, 2024, to her YouTube and Instagram accounts.
In the footage, she highlighted barbed wire fencing and openly described areas across the border. In one alarming segment, she is seen standing near the border fencing saying, “If you walk a little further from here, you’ll find Pakistani soldiers and civilians.”
Jyoti also interacted with locals, asking them how far Pakistan was, who lived across the border, and how long it would take to cross over.
In another clip, she showed a goat crossing the fence, remarking that it came from the Pakistani side—comments that raised further suspicion. She visited multiple sensitive locations in Barmer.
In addition to Jhelun, Jyoti reportedly visited a village in Ramsar tehsil, just 10 kilometres from the border. She stayed at the home of a local resident, Khamisha Khan, for about an hour, had tea, and engaged in conversations with village women about daily life, water scarcity, and firewood collection, before heading to Gadra Road.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the case and detained Jyoti.
Officials recovered incriminating documents from her residence in Hisar. She has been taken to Chandigarh for further interrogation, where the Jammu Intelligence Unit will also question her.
Meanwhile, her Instagram account has been suspended. The agencies are currently scrutinising the details of all her domestic travel, especially those near military and border zones. Multiple investigative angles are being explored.
(IANS)
