The National Investigation Agency on Monday arrested an assistant sub-inspector of the Central Reserve Police Force for allegedly sharing sensitive information with Pakistan intelligence officers in exchange f or money.
The agency said the accused, identified as Moti Ram Jat, had been involved in espionage activities since 2023.
“We have arrested the CRPF ASI, identified as Moti Ram Jat. He was actively involved in espionage and had been sharing classified information related to national security with Pakistan intelligence officers since 2023. We have also found that he was receiving funds from the PIOs through various conduits,” a spokesperson for
the NIA said.
A CRPF official said an individual was found to have violated established norms and protocols during the monitoring of his social
media activity.
“The accused person was later handed over to the NIA for further investigation. The individual has been dismissed from service under the relevant provisions of the Constitution read with the CRPF Rules,” he said.
Jat, who was arrested in Delhi, was produced before a court and remanded in NIA custody till June 6.
Jat’s arrest came amid central security agencies’ heightened monitoring of subversive activities in the aftermath of India’s armed conflict with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Over the past fortnight, at least 12 people have been nabbed from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on espionage charges, with investigations pointing to an alleged Pakistan-linked spy network operating in northern India.
Among those arrested is Jyoti Malhotra, a travel vlogger and YouTuber from Haryana who was said to be in touch with a Pakistan high commission staffer and shared sensitive information during Operation Sindoor.
She got her visa in 2023 and subsequently travelled to Pakistan twice.
Jyoti, who has a YouTube channel called “Travel with Jo” with over 3.77 lakh subscribers and an Instagram account with 1.33 lakh followers, was booked under the Official Secrets Act. She was allegedly in touch with Pakistani officer Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, who was directed to leave India earlier this month.
“An operation was underway to find if more people were involved in the espionage racket operating in northern India. Several YouTube channels are under scrutiny,” said an NIA official.
Sources in the security establishment said Jyoti’s finances were being probed as she enjoyed a lavish lifestyle not in sync with her known sources of income. An official said she always travelled first class on flights, stayed in plush hotels, dined in high-end restaurants and was suspected to have visited Pakistan on a “sponsored trip”.
A video purportedly showing her surrounded by at least six gunmen at Anarkali Bazar in Lahore surfaced on Monday.
The video was recently posted by Scottish YouTuber Callum Mill, who was on a trip to Pakistan and was seen briefly interacting with Jyoti.
Soon after her return from Pakistan, Jyoti flew to China, where she travelled in luxury cars and visited expensive jewellery shops, sources probing the case said.