After Haryana YouTuber, UP Businessman Arrested For Spying For Pakistan

A businessman in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh has been detained on suspicion of espionage for Pakistan, according to the police on Sunday. The Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force (STF) detained the accused, Shahzad, in Moradabad based on information regarding his suspected participation in cross-border smuggling and espionage for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The STF stated in a statement that he was also transmitting sensitive information concerning national security to his handlers. According to the agency, Shahzad had made several trips to Pakistan over the years and was reportedly smuggling cosmetics, clothing, spices, and other goods across the border.

The STF stated that his unlawful commerce acted as a facade for executing his secret missions for the ISI. The inquiry also uncovered that Shahzad had been supplying funds and Indian SIM cards to ISI agents in India.

The STF asserted that he frequently dispatched individuals from the Rampur district and various areas of Uttar Pradesh to Pakistan to collaborate with the ISI.

Shahzad’s detention occurs shortly after a YouTuber from Haryana was taken into custody for allegedly sharing sensitive information with Pakistani intelligence. Jyoti Malhotra, who manages a YouTube channel named ‘Travel with JO’ and possesses more than three lakh subscribers, was reportedly in touch with a Pakistani employee at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.

On May 13, India dismissed that Pakistani official for supposedly engaging in espionage. She additionally posted several videos from her trip to Pakistan — ‘Indian Girl in Pakistan’, ‘Indian Girl Exploring Lahore’, ‘Indian Girl at Katas Raj Temple’, and ‘Indian Girl Rides Luxury Bus in Pakistan’ on her YouTube channel.

These arrests occur in the context of rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the terrorist assault in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in 26 fatalities.