After the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, alongside plans for retaliation, India simultaneously launched a nationwide hunt for 'Pakistani spies.' It was clear that the terrorists who carried out the Pahalgam attack, targeting victims based on their religion, could not have succeeded without local support and intelligence. Without such assistance, the attack would not have been possible. Since then, influencers, YouTubers, and individuals from every corner of the country with active social media accounts have been under the close watch of the national security team. And now, after the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, all the suspected people with a solid link to the Pakistan intelligence have been nabbed from various parts of the country by the police. At least 12 were nabbed in the last 72 hours. Here is the complete list of those arrested.
Jyoti Malhotra
A YouTuber named Jyoti was arrested in Hisar, Haryana, on May 18. She had visited Pakistan three times, two of those times with Sikh pilgrim groups. While there, she became close to a Pakistani embassy staff member named Danish. She is accused of sharing secret information with him. Reports also say she travelled with a Danish to Bali, Indonesia. Jyoti lost her job during COVID and started making videos. Her videos often praise Pakistan.
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Ghazala
Ghazala was arrested in Punjab's Malerkotla on May 8 just after India's Operation Sindoor. Ghazala reportedly visited the Pakistan High Commission in February 2025 to obtain a visa, where she met a Pakistani official named Danish. "She began sending data about army trucks, army bases, and other sensitive sites," officials said. A Rs 30,000 UPI transaction to her has been traced. She later returned to the embassy in April with her friend Banu Nasrina, again through Danish.
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Shahzad
Shahzad is a businessman from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad. He was arrested on May 18 for allegedly spying for Pakistan. Acting on specific intelligence, the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force (STF) took Shahzad into custody from Moradabad a day earlier. He is suspected of involvement in cross-border smuggling and espionage activities on behalf of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Devendra Singh Dhillon
Devendra Singh was arrested from Haryana's Kaithal on May 12. The twenty-five-year-old Devender Singh from the Guhla region in Haryana's Kaithal district was arrested after he posted images with firearms on social media. He is a postgraduate student of political science in Punjab. Singh had travelled to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan in 2023. During the trip, he reportedly established contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives and stayed in communication with them upon his return to India.
Nauman Ilahi
Nauman Ilahi was picked up from Haryana's Panipat on May 13. A 24-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh, working as a security guard in Panipat, has been accused of spying for a Pakistani handler named Iqbal, also known as Kana. According to officials, he was found with eight passports and had travelled to Pakistan four times. He allegedly passed on sensitive information related to troop movements and train routes. His connection to Pakistan was made easier as both his aunt and maternal aunt live there, allowing him to cross the border without much difficulty. His involvement reportedly began after the arrest of Iqbal’s associate, Kaleem.
Murtaza
Murtaza, originally from Bihar, was arrested in Jalandhar, Punjab, on May 16. According to reports, she was involved in developing an app during heightened India-Pakistan tensions. This app was allegedly used to transmit Indian news clips and internal updates to handlers across the border. Authorities flagged ₹40 lakh worth of transactions in her account within a single month, raising serious concerns. During the arrest, police also seized four mobile phones, three SIM cards, and a collection of suspicious videos from her possession.
Armaan
Another student arrested for spying is Armaan. He is from Haryana's Nuh. 26-year-old Armaan was arrested on May 17. He was arrested for sharing information related to the Indian Army and other military activities with Pakistan through an employee posted at the High Commission of Pakistan in Delhi.
Priyanka Senapati
Priyanka Senapati, a vlogger from Odisha, came under police scrutiny following the arrest of Jyoti Malhotra. Odisha Police are currently investigating possible links between Priyanka, who is based in Puri, and Jyoti. It has come to light that Priyanka had visited Pakistan earlier this year, specifically Kartarpur Sahib, around three months ago. She shared videos of the visit on her YouTube channel, although police confirmed that Jyoti did not accompany her on that trip. During questioning at her residence, officers also discovered that Priyanka and Jyoti had travelled together to several Indian destinations, including Kashmir and Kerala.
Palak Sher Masih and Suraj Masih
Palak Sher Masih and Suraj Masih, residents of Punjab's Amritsar were arrested earlier this month for allegedly leaking sensitive information and photographs of Army cantonment areas and air bases in the region.
Sukhpreet Singh
Sukhpreet Singh, a resident of Gurdaspur in Punjab, was arrested for allegedly leaking sensitive military information, including details of troop movements and strategic locations, to Pakistan’s ISI.
Karanbir Singh
Karanbir Singh, also from Gurdaspur, was apprehended on similar charges of spying, with authorities accusing him of passing on sensitive military data to Pakistan’s intelligence agency.
Armaan
A 26-year-old man from Nuh, Haryana, was arrested for allegedly passing sensitive information about the Indian Army and other military activities to Pakistan. The information was reportedly sent through an employee at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. Armaan, the accused, has been remanded to six days in police custody. During the investigation, police recovered conversations, photos, and videos sent from his phone to Pakistani contacts. Officials confirmed that a case has now been registered against three individuals, including two employees of the Pakistani High Commission.