Kolkata: The Special Task Force (SIT) of Kolkata Police and their district counterparts are tracing the movements of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested for espionage for Pakistan. Sleuths from Haryana Police who are investigating the case have informed the state police about locations where Jyoti had visited during her stay in West Bengal.
A senior officer in charge of SIT said, "We are in constant touch with the police of other states and central investigation agencies for the case. We have received information of her visit to Kolkata and adjoining districts, and a detailed investigation is underway along with the district police intelligence."
Preliminary investigations revealed that Jyoti took videos of several densely populated areas of Kolkata. She also made a video of her train ride from Sealdah railway station. Besides, she had visited a famous biryani outlet in Barrackpore in the North 24 Parganas district and shot videos there.
The STF officers said Jyoti had attended a wedding invitation in Hooghly's Sheoraphuli, and investigations are underway into her connection with that family and why she was invited. The sleuths have also learnt that Jyoti had visited Siliguri a few months ago, and claimed on her YouTube vlog that she reached Bagdogra by flight from Delhi to go to Bhutan and had chosen to stay at a hotel in Siliguri.
Incidentally, the places where she visited, like Kolkata, Barrackpore or Siliguri, have major defence establishments. Kolkata has the headquarters of the Eastern Command, while several areas of Barrackpore are under the jurisdiction of the state police and the Army. Barrackpore also houses one of the oldest Indian Air Force (IAF) bases. Siliguri is strategically important as there are two IAF stations, one in Bagdogra and the other in Hasimara. The 33 Corps, comprising three mountain divisions, also has its headquarters in Sukna, close to Siliguri.
According to the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Jyoti had also visited the Jagannath Dham in Odisha's Puri a few months ago with another local female YouTuber and had shot videos of several temples, including the Konark Sun Temple.
A resident of Hisar, Jyoti had been booked under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). She has been sent to a five-day police remand.
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