BHUBANESWAR: A 21-year-old YouTuber from Puri is being investigated on suspicion of collaborating with Haryana travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested Saturday for allegedly spying for Pakistan. The unnamed woman came under the scanner after it emerged that she had travelled to Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free border crossing leading to Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib, shortly after Jyoti’s visit to Jagannath Temple in Puri on Sept 21 last year. “Haryana Police and other security agencies are in touch with us. We have questioned the YouTuber and shared details with them,” Puri SP Vinit Agrawal said.The content creator’s parents said they were confident she was innocent, but would cooperate with security agencies as “India comes first and our daughter second”. Police sources said Jyoti, who stayed for three days in Puri, met her fellow YouTuber during the trip. The Puri woman said her friendship with Jyoti started online around eight months ago after the duo bonded over their shared love of travel vlogging.“Had I known her alleged anti-national activities, I would not have struck a friendship with her. I am ready to face questioning by any agency,” she was quoted as telling interrogators. SP Agrawal said investigators hadn’t found any incriminating detail about Jyoti’s Odisha visit and her interactions with the Puri vlogger.The woman’s father said his daughter and Jyoti were “merely” friends. “My daughter has no involvement in anti-national activities and was unaware of Jyoti’s alleged espionage. Since she loves travelling, she made a pilgrimage to Kartarpur with another friend (not Jyoti) three months ago. She received official permission to visit the place,” he said.
