A YouTuber and a political science student were among 10 persons arrested over the past two weeks across Punjab and Haryana for allegedly spying for Pakistani intelligence agencies, The New Indian Express reported.

This comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad amid Operation Sindoor.

On Saturday, a 26-year-old man named Armaan was arrested in Haryana’s Nuh for allegedly sharing details about the Indian Army and other military activities with Pakistan through an employee posted at the High Commission of Pakistan in Delhi, PTI quoted the police as saying.

A local court remanded Armaan to six days of police custody.

The 26-year-old was arrested after the police received a tip-off from central investigation agencies.

A day earlier, the Haryana Police arrested a travel vlogger named Jyoti Malhotra from Hisar for allegedly spying for Pakistani intelligence agencies during Operation Sindoor, reported The Print.

Malhotra was charged under the Official Secrets Act sections pertaining to espionage and wrongful communication of information for the benefit of a foreign power, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section that penalises acts that endanger the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India, according to The Indian Express.

She was remanded to five days of police custody.

The police claimed that Malhotra told them she had visited the Pakistan High Commission in 2023 to obtain a visa, where she came in contact with an official named Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish. She shared his phone number with the police and admitted staying in touch with him.

The police said she received her visa in 2023 and travelled to Pakistan twice. During one of her trips, she allegedly met a man named Ali Ahwan on Danish’s instructions. Ahwan allegedly arranged her travel and accommodation, and introduced her to two Pakistani intelligence officials – Shakir and Rana Shahbaz.

The vlogger allegedly shared sensitive information about key Indian installations with the three men. She also continued meeting Danish during this time, the police alleged.

Danish was declared persona non grata by the Indian government on May 13 and ordered to leave the country for allegedly indulging in actions “not in keeping with his official status”.

“By engaging in suspicious activities with a citizen of an enemy country who has been declared persona non grata by the Government of India on charges of espionage, and by exchanging India’s sensitive intelligence information, Jyoti has committed an offense that endangers the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India,” The Print cited a note from the police as saying.

Malhotra was also accused of allegedly promoting a favourable image of Pakistan through her content, The Indian Express quoted the police as saying.

In another case, a 24-year-old man, Nauman Ilahi, hailing from Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana, was arrested in Haryana’s Panipat for allegedly supplying sensitive information to Inter-Services Intelligence operatives, The New Indian Express reported. He was working as a security guard at a factory.

On May 12, a 25-year-old political science student named Devender Singh was arrested from the Guhla area in Haryana’s Kaithal district for uploading photographs with weapons on social media, according to the newspaper.

Singh, who is pursuing a master’s degree in political science from a college in Punjab, had visited Nankana Sahib in Pakistan in 2024 and allegedly came into contact with Pakistani intelligence officials, The New Indian Express quoted unidentified police officers as saying.

He remained in touch with them after returning to India, the officers said, adding that Singh admitted to taking and sending photographs of the Patiala Cantonment from outside.

On May 13, the Punjab Police arrested a tailor from Uttarakhand’s Roorkee named Raqeeb Khan, who was working at a shop inside the Bathinda Cantonment for two years, for alleged espionage, The New Indian Express reported.

On April 29, a cobbler named Sunil Kumar from Bihar’s Samastipur was also arrested. He too had been working in the Bathinda Cantonment since 2017.

On May 11, a 31-year-old woman, Guzala, and her associate, Yameen Mohammad, were arrested by the Punjab Police for allegedly assisting a Pakistani official posted at the High Commission in Delhi.

On May 3, another two men, Palak Sher Masih and Suraj Masih, were also arrested in Punjab’s Amritsar for allegedly taking photographs and sharing sensitive details of Army cantonments and airbases, according to The New Indian Express.

Tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and seven defence personnel were killed.

On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an “understanding” to halt firing following a four-day conflict.