Never knew she was spying, says Odia YouTuber Priyanka on links with Jyoti Malhotra

Bhubaneswar, May 18 (IANS) Odia YouTuber Priyanka Senapati has issued a public clarification after her name surfaced in connection with Jyoti Malhotra, a YouTuber recently arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan.

Reports claimed that Senapati had visited Pakistan a few days ago and shared videos and posts on Instagram.

Photographs of her with Jyoti Malhotra have also circulated on social media, raising questions about their association.

In response, Senapati took to her social media stories to clarify her position. "Many people are asking me to clarify the matter. Jyoti was only a friend, and I came into contact with her through YouTube. 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," she wrote.

She further stated that her connection with Malhotra was purely professional, limited to content creation.

"I am personally shocked to hear about this. If any investigative agency wishes to question me, I will fully cooperate," she added.

"Nation comes first," Senapati concluded in her statement.

Meanwhile, Priyanka's father, Rajkishore Senapati, on Sunday informed media persons that the Odisha Police have questioned the YouTuber from Puri over her links with Jyoti Malhotra.

As per reports, the Intelligence Bureau(IB) officials also questioned Priyanka and her family in this regard. He further stated that Priyanka came into contact with Jyoti through social media and helped her during the latter's visit to Puri around seven to eight months back in 2024.

Rajkishore revealed that Priyanka had visited Kartarpur in Pakistan four months ago.

He said that Priyanka and his family will fully cooperate with the investigating agencies. The Haryana Police have arrested six people, including a Hisar-based YouTuber and travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra, on charges of spying and passing sensitive information to Pakistani operatives, officials said on Saturday.

--IANS

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