Jyoti Malhotra spy case: YouTuber Priyanka Senapati under scanner

Puri: Following travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest for allegedly spying for Pakistan, police have begun delving deeper into her connections thus zeroing in on an Odisha based YouTuber, Priyanka Senapati.

Senapati's bank account and her contact with Malhotra are being probed, days after Senapati explained that she had come into contact with Malhotra on YouTube, NDTV reported.

Clarifying her side, Senapati wrote: ‘I was completely unaware of the serious charges against her. Had I known she was spying for an enemy country, I would have never maintained any contact with her.’

It is reported that communication between two women are in focus of the investigation as authorities screen Senapati’s social media accounts.

The YouTuber and her family underwent multiple rounds of questioning, drawing in details about her relationship with Malhotra and ‘the personal or local intelligence shared between the two.’

Senapati’s father Rajkishore Senapati reportedly said that his daughter contacted Malhotra on social media and helped the travel vlogger when she came to visit Puri about eight months ago in 2024.

Priyanka Senapati, her father said, visited Kartarpur in Pakistan four months ago and went on uploading a video about it on her YouTube channel 'Prii_vlogs' on March 25 titled ‘Odia Girl in Pakistan | Kartarpur Corridor Guide | Odia Vlog’.

Priyanka Senapati acquired 14,800 subscribers to her channel where she presents her travels within and outside of Odisha.

The Jagannath Bhakt Niwas guest house, where Malhotra stayed during her visit to Puri in September last year, is also under the scanner of investigation.

Its manager said that Malhotra arrived at the accommodation on September 21 with another woman and stayed for a day.

‘No one had come to meet her. She did not stay in the room for long, and would just come and go out after some time,’ the manager reportedly said.

Puri Superintendent of Police Vinit Agrawal said probe is on to verifying information including financial transactions as part of espionage investigation.

Malhotra, who travelled to Pakistan twice, was arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information with a Pakistani citizen alongside meeting Pakistani officer Ahsan-ur-Rahim who reportedly arranged for her stay and travel and meetings with Pakistani security and intelligence agencies.