Chandigarh/Lucknow 19 May

At least 12 people, including a YouTuber, have been nabbed from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh on charges of espionage over the last two weeks, with investigations pointing to an alleged Pakistan-linked spy network operating in north India, police said.

While six of them have been held from Punjab, five were nabbed from neighbouring Haryana, and one from Uttar Pradesh.

The arrests took place in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor, officials said.

Among those arrested, two women -- YouTuber from Haryana Jyoti Malhotra, whose YouTube channel and Instagram accounts have 3.77 lakh subscribers and 1.33 lakh followers, and 31-year-old Guzala from Punjab -- were allegedly in touch with Pakistani officer Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

On 13 May, India expelled the Pakistani official for allegedly indulging in espionage.

On 4 May, Punjab Police arrested Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih -- both residents of Ajnala in Amritsar -- for their alleged role in leaking sensitive information and photographs of army cantonment areas and air bases in the border district to ISI.

Two more people were arrested by the Punjab Police on 11 May for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to Pakistani official Danish posted at the High Commission in Delhi.

The accused were identified as 31-year-old Guzala and Yameen Mohamad, both residents of Malerkotla. They were receiving online payments in exchange for sharing classified information, a police investigation revealed.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav on Monday said two more men were arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive military information with Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI.

The two have been identified as Sukhpreet Singh, a native of Adiyan village in Gurdaspur, and Karanbir Singh, a native of Chandu Wadala in Gurdaspur.

The Haryana Police, on 15 May, arrested 24-year-old Nauman Ilahi from the Panipat district for allegedly supplying sensitive information to some individuals in Pakistan.

A day after his arrest, Haryana Police arrested a 25-year-old post-graduate student in Kaithal for allegedly having links with PIOs.

Devender Singh, from Kaithal district's Guhla area, was arrested for allegedly uploading photos on social media with weapons.

On Sunday, Haryana Police said it had arrested a 26-year-old man from the Nuh district on charges of spying for Pakistan.

Armaan was arrested on Saturday for allegedly 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, police said.

Nuh Police, in a joint operation with a central agency, on Monday also arrested a local quack for allegedly spying for Pakistan.

The man has been identified as Mohammad Tarif, a native of the Kangarka village in the Nuh district. He is accused of leaking intelligence information on military activities to Pakistan.

A case has been registered against him and two Pakistani citizens -- Asif Baloch and Zafar -- posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi under Section 152 of the BNS and sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act at the Sadar Tauru Police Station.

The Moradabad Special Task Force arrested one Shahzad from Rampur on Sunday, following inputs about his alleged involvement in cross-border smuggling and espionage activities for the ISI.