India Today's Super 6 focusses on a Pakistani 'spy ring' involving YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra. The 33-year-old influencer with over 3.2 lakh YouTube subscribers has been arrested for allegedly aiding Pakistani intelligence.
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00:00Good evening, you're watching Super 6 here on India Today.
00:03I'm Akshita Nandgopal.
00:04Over the next 60 minutes, rounding up the day's top stories.
00:07Let's begin by giving you a glimpse of what you can expect over the next one hour.
00:12Top focus here on Super 6 is the Pakistani spy ring that's been busted.
00:17And central at the heart of it is a young 33-year-old YouTuber and influencer on Instagram
00:24called Jyoti Malhotra.
00:25What exactly was her role in helping Pakistani intelligence networks?
00:29Why was she chosen?
00:31She's visited Pakistan several times.
00:33We'll get your details of how exactly Pakistan reached out to her.
00:37And why are they now trying to get in more YouTubers, influencers in India?
00:43We'll be talking about that as our top focus here on Super 6.
00:47Story number two, we'll be shifting away from what's been happening between India and Pakistan
00:52and talking about what's happening in Bengaluru.
00:54As we speak, Bengaluru is right now being lashed by rainfall.
00:59This is the situation currently in the city underwater after heavy spell of rainfall last night.
01:05Granted unprecedented rainfall, but add to it is the apathy of authorities.
01:10Add to it is the lack of preparedness that leads to flooding like this in the city again and again.
01:15That's coming up at 6.30 this evening.
01:18Story number three that we'll be focusing on is also on the fire that broke out in a building in Hyderabad,
01:26leading to 17 casualties.
01:28Was there some sort of a lapse in the kind of steps that were taken to ensure fire officials reached there as soon as possible?
01:36Well, the opposition certainly claims so in Telangana.
01:39We'll be getting your sense of what exactly happened, what led to this place.
01:47Story number four that we'll be running you through is a worrying ISIS plot,
01:51thankfully busted courtesy the Telangana and Andhra police.
01:54Two individuals have been taken into custody and details are emerging of how they wanted to actually bomb the city of Hyderabad.
02:02Worrying story which we'll tell you about in just a bit here on Super 6.
02:07But story number five that we're going to be telling you about is an international story of former US President Joe Biden,
02:14confirmed now that he has stage four of cancer.
02:19And there are wishes pouring in, of course, for the former president.
02:21But one pertinent question, how is it that they detected stage four of cancer only at this stage?
02:26Or was it something that they hid from the public for the last many months?
02:32But let's get started with our top focus.
02:34As promised, it's on Jyoti Malhotra.
02:36There are traitors within, traitors who've been actively aiding Pakistan.
02:41And these are people you'd least suspect hanging around in our neighborhoods, working with us,
02:46or maybe even an Instagrammer or YouTuber that you follow.
02:50Jyoti Malhotra, a young YouTuber, runs a channel called Travel with Joe.
02:55She has over 3.2 lakh subscribers on YouTube, over 13 lakh followers on Instagram.
03:01Jyoti Malhotra is 33 years old.
03:03She's been actively aiding Pakistan, providing them reportedly crucial intel by visiting strategic locations
03:11and then endlessly praising Pakistan in videos and reels.
03:14And we'll give you a glimpse of that in just a bit as well here on Super 6.
03:18Her social media channels have been blocked now, but beyond that, she now faces a very serious espionage charge.
03:25She's been arrested.
03:26Now, Jyoti Malhotra visited Pakistan several times, which isn't a crime in itself, but an intent of visiting Pakistan.
03:33The timing of it is what's now led to her arrest.
03:37Jyoti's been booked under the Official Secrets Act.
03:40Cops have confirmed that Pakistani intelligence operatives were developing this Haryana YouTuber into an asset.
03:48Why? How? We'll be talking about all of that.
03:51And unfortunately, Jyoti Malhotra isn't alone.
03:54There are several others also who are reportedly being reached out to by Pakistan, some of them arrested.
04:01The investigation continues.
04:03So how did Jyoti Malhotra actually get into something like this?
04:06Who reached out to her?
04:07A couple of names have emerged here, and I'll run you through those.
04:11Now, central to this is a man named Danish.
04:14If you watched the video that we showed you previously, she's also seen meeting him at the Pakistan High Commission.
04:20Remember this man, Danish, whose actual name is Ehsan-ur-Rahim.
04:24He's actually been expelled from India for espionage, expelled just a few days ago.
04:30And at that point, there were no details of exactly why.
04:33But now with him being expelled, we know what he was doing.
04:36He was running this entire espionage racket.
04:38So it was essentially between him and this other man called Harkirat Singh,
04:43who organized pilgrimage groups and essentially helped Jyoti get a Pakistan visa, not once, but three times over.
04:50So Harkirat Singh also involved in this.
04:53So essentially, used by Sakhi as an excuse to ensure that she'd get the visa repeatedly.
04:58But it's through Harkirat that Jyoti and Danish met.
05:01Reportedly, they had a relationship as well.
05:04Now, Jyoti, of course, is the YouTuber that we're talking about.
05:08The allegation against her is that she also gives sensitive information to Pakistan, visited Pakistan three times.
05:14The timing of it is something we'll talk about as well.
05:18Now, besides this, there's one more person who's yet to be identified.
05:22This is someone who works in the Pakistan High Commission.
05:25He's a staffer. No details yet on exactly who he is, but that's his picture right there.
05:31His picture has emerged from two instances.
05:34One, that he was seen with Jyoti at that Iftar event in the Pakistan High Commission.
05:38Again, if you notice closely in the video we played earlier, he's seen in that video asking for a picture with Jyoti.
05:43He's the same man who, after the Pahalgam terror attack, actually went viral
05:48because he was seen taking a cake into the Pakistan High Commission.
05:52Was he involved in this entire espionage racket? We don't know.
05:55But his face has turned up twice so far.
05:57His images have gone viral since.
05:59Is it mere coincidence that he was involved in two incidents?
06:03Really, the Pakistan High Commission can't really say at this point because the authorities are looking into it.
06:08But it isn't just Jyoti.
06:10There are several others also who've been involved, all again linked to one man, to Danish.
06:15And there are five accused that we're listing out for you.
06:18Right on top is, of course, Jyoti Malhotra, who's already been arrested because she aided Danish in financial transactions.
06:26Reportedly also made micro-payments for covert ops.
06:29Then you have the likes of Guzala, you have Armaan and several others.
06:34So let's talk about Armaan.
06:36He was cultivated by Danish to provide logistical support and trained to gather information.
06:41All of them are linked to Danish.
06:44Accused number four, Devinder Singh Dhillon.
06:46Now, he shared Patiala cantonment videos with Pakistan.
06:50Why is that worrying?
06:51Because this all leads to questions about whether these were possible targets as well.
06:55Priyanka Senapati is another YouTuber, a friend of Jyoti's, who also visited Pakistan,
07:00who's been interrogated on whether she's also involved in this entire spy racket.
07:06But why exactly would Pakistan target a YouTuber?
07:09What information could they possibly get?
07:12Because obviously she's not privy to any military or sensitive information.
07:15But here's how Jyoti allegedly aided Pakistan.
07:18And this is based on what sources and agencies have told us who've been actively involved in her questioning.
07:23She recced and shot videos at vital sites for Pakistan, including in Kashmir,
07:29had visited Pehalgam and we'll tell you about that.
07:32Besides that, she's been accused of spying, of aiding ISI operations.
07:37Why do we say this?
07:38Well, because it's been confirmed that she was also in touch with the Pakistan intelligence network as well.
07:43So it wasn't just your surface contacts, but reportedly used encrypted chats to talk to people in Pakistan.
07:50She's been accused of sharing intel under the guise of travel vlogging,
07:54would visit every part of the country and then would visit Pakistan.
07:58Not a coincidence, this is what agencies tell us.
08:01Besides that, she also posted content praising Pakistan repeatedly on social platforms,
08:06even after the Pehalgam terror attack.
08:09So there was a clear motive behind that.
08:11The motive was that she was getting paid by Pakistan.
08:14So allegedly involved in Pakistan's narrative warfare strategy.
08:17Pakistan has reportedly been reaching out to a lot of these influencers,
08:21offering them free trips to Pakistan and much, much more.
08:24Essentially, so they put out a good word or two for the country and then create an atmosphere in India
08:31where it's essentially more sympathizers for Pakistan.
08:35But a lot that's come in really on the interrogation of Jyoti Malhotra and several others.
08:41What exactly has been her role?
08:42Is there any role in the Pehalgam terror attack?
08:46You know, what places did she visit just before that?
08:48What were the other locations she wrecked?
08:50Let's get you all of those details in our next report.
08:53Big revelation on Pakistan's spy ring involving a popular influencer.
08:59Jyoti Malhotra's link with Pakistan is tumbling out.
09:04Jyoti made three yearly trips to Pakistan since 2023, apart from visiting Kashmir frequently.
09:13But cops suspect she may have shot specific Kashmir locations at behest of Pakistan.
09:19This is the house that she used to live in.
09:22The fridge magnets on the room and the fridge is visible of her interest to travel.
09:29Jyoti is not the one person who's arrested.
09:31At least six of them have been picked up in Haryana across different districts
09:35that include New, Kaithal, Panipat, etc.
09:39And also Punjab's Malerkotla.
09:41There's an ongoing investigation suggesting that a group of influencers were in close touch
09:47with one person from the Pakistan embassy in Delhi.
09:51One Haryana Sikh Gurudwara management body employee, Harkeerat Singh,
09:55is emerging as key link who introduced Jyoti to her Pakistani handlers.
10:02Harkeerat, who was arrested, has revealed that Jyoti was trapped by Pakistan embassy staffer,
10:07Danish, while seeking Pakistani visa in 2023.
10:12Jyoti had subsequently developed intimate relationship with a Pakistani handler
10:17and had even gone on a week-long trip to Bali.
10:21Jyoti's curious links to a Pakistan embassy staffer,
10:24who carried a cake soon after the Pehelgaon attack, is also out.
10:31The same Pakistani embassy employee was with Jyoti
10:33when she attended an iftar party at the embassy.
10:38Tasked with spreading positive narrative on Pakistan,
10:41Jyoti gave a clean chit to Pakistan after the Pehelgaon attack.
10:47Jyoti's Pakistani trips are now under scanner,
10:50as agencies suspect that Pakistan was grooming her as a spying asset.
10:56Jyoti also kept her family in the dark about her trips to Pakistan.
11:01I am going to Delhi. I will be back in two or three days.
11:06Did you know that she has been to Pakistan?
11:09Or that she is a Pakistani friend?
11:12We are not saying that this is wrong.
11:14We are just asking if you knew anything about this?
11:18I did not know.
11:21The espionage ring revelations exposing a fresh Pakistani ploy
11:25to enlist influencers to snoop inside India.
11:30Assalam-o-Alaikum.
11:32Vishya Chatterjee, Bureau Report, India Today.
11:41More details that are emerging from agencies
11:44are on Jyoti Malhotra, the YouTuber,
11:46and her role really in this Pakistan espionage racket.
11:50Now, using encrypted communication channels
11:52on WhatsApp, Telegram and Snapchat,
11:54Jyoti remained in active contact with Pakistani operators.
11:59And here's what she was told to do.
12:00Here's her assignment that she was given by Pakistan.
12:04To project a positive image of Pakistan.
12:06To share sensitive information related to Indian geography.
12:09She traveled, do vlogs, share that footage.
12:12Maintaining communication with the Pakistani High Commission handlers
12:16during their stays in India.
12:18Also, she traveled with a Pakistani operative
12:22to some of the locations,
12:24which suggests that there was some sort of personal link
12:26also between her and one of these operatives.
12:30Details of which our agencies haven't put out just yet.
12:32But I want to bring in Shreya Chatterjee
12:34for more details on this.
12:35Shreya, more details really tumbling out
12:38on the motive behind bringing someone like Jyoti Malhotra
12:42into an espionage ring.
12:43Many would question saying,
12:44look, what kind of information could she possibly give Pakistan?
12:48She has no military sensitive information.
12:50No strategic information.
12:52So what is it that she really brought to the table
12:54that Pakistan actually wanted her to be their spy?
13:00Well, we don't...
13:01That's exactly one of the questions I had in mind
13:04when I entered Hisar today.
13:06But after talking with the police,
13:08the intel agencies who are actually investigating the matter,
13:11we really need to understand that we are in a modern era
13:14of cyber warfare.
13:16Something that we've seen when the Operation Sindoor
13:18was going on as well.
13:19Now one person, remember,
13:21is being planted in your own soil
13:23to push a positive agenda of an enemy country
13:26in order to somewhere down the line,
13:29I mean, give a narrative which doesn't settle in.
13:32So this is something which is a new form of warfare
13:34that needs to be investigated.
13:36And you know, the IB report that we accessed, Akshita,
13:39that clearly suggests that this was not just Pakistan.
13:42She went to China.
13:43She went to Nepal.
13:45She went to Dubai.
13:46It's really, I mean, interesting choice of places
13:49as a travel vlogger that she's actually gone to.
13:52Something that will also be investigated.
13:54We're not really insinuating,
13:55but the timeline is exactly something
13:58that the police is right now looking into.
13:59In November, she goes last year to Kashmir,
14:02and then subsequently she visits Pakistan again
14:05in the month of March this year.
14:07Remember what the intel report suggested
14:09before the Pahalgam attack,
14:10that there could be a possible, I mean, thing
14:13revolving tourist areas.
14:15Whether this woman was given any particular directive
14:18of going to particular tourist areas by her handlers or not,
14:21all these things are being investigated,
14:23a long-haul process,
14:25because it actually involves a lot of digital data
14:28that needs to be looked at,
14:29and then that has to be corroborated.
14:31But we need to understand this is a modern warfare
14:35that is being used.
14:36A person who was announced as a person of non-data
14:39to be moved from the country,
14:41why did Jyoti have to stay in contact with that person
14:44even after that directive?
14:45Big question that she will continue to face
14:47from the local police of Haryana, NIA,
14:49military intelligence,
14:50and also the intelligence central agencies in our country.
14:54You know, sources are telling us
14:56that Jyoti hasn't been cooperating
14:58with the investigation of Peshawar.
14:59Just stay with me.
15:00Shreya raised a very important pattern here
15:02about whether Jyoti's travels is something
15:06that Pakistan was constantly tracking,
15:08whether it helped them,
15:09whether these were recce visits
15:10that she conducted across different parts of the country
15:12for Pakistan.
15:14Important to highlight here
15:15that Jyoti visited Pahalgam in January, right?
15:18After that, months later, the terror attack took place.
15:21At this point,
15:22officials have ruled out her direct link to Pahalgam,
15:25but it's something we must highlight here
15:26because besides that, she also visited Golmarg.
15:29This was in December last year, Uri as well.
15:32All of this took place in December and January
15:35when she, of course, toured through Kashmir,
15:36put out one video after another,
15:38allegedly also shared sensitive information with Pakistan.
15:41There's another visit that officials are looking into.
15:44When in September, 2024,
15:46she visited the Jagannath Temple in Puri.
15:48And so there's a big focus
15:50on whether there was an attempt
15:51to target this particular temple too,
15:53because officials believe and sources tell us
15:55that Jyoti visited this temple
15:57to hand over information of what this area looked like.
16:01And because she's a vlogger,
16:03she will, of course, be able to walk in
16:05just like anyone else.
16:06And that proves to be important really for Pakistan
16:09to go ahead and plot these attacks as they do.
16:12But it wasn't just, of course,
16:14to different parts of the country.
16:17Jyoti repeatedly visited Pakistan, three times, in fact.
16:19Her first visit was in April, 2023,
16:21when she got her visa for Baisakhi.
16:23We had broken down for you a few moments ago
16:26how exactly she was getting her visas
16:28using a man called Harkirat Singh,
16:30who was part of a Gurdwara committee
16:32who would arrange these visas
16:33because he'd arranged religious group visits.
16:36So in that sense, he managed to get her a visa
16:39in April, 2023 to visit Pakistan during Baisakhi.
16:43Same time next year, April, 2024,
16:46she again visited Pakistan and this time around,
16:48stayed there for over a month on a visa.
16:52The third visit was just a few months ago,
16:54one month before Pahalgam, March, 2025,
16:57right after her Kashmir trip.
17:00You had Jyoti Malhotra once again visiting Pakistan.
17:03And we showed you a glimpse of the kind of videos
17:05that she was putting out,
17:06heaping praise, essentially, on Pakistan repeatedly,
17:10which, as Shreya also told you,
17:12is how, essentially, Pakistan is trying to push forward
17:15this narrative warfare.
17:16I also have Kamaljeet Sandhu with us,
17:18joining us with more details on this.
17:21Kamaljeet, any details, really,
17:22that have emerged on how authorities
17:25actually managed to bust this kind of espionage ring,
17:29and if they suspect that there are more who are involved?
17:36Well, almost a dozen have been arrested,
17:38both in Punjab and Haryana,
17:39and in specific, Jyoti Malhotra being one of them
17:41who have been arrested by a Haryana police.
17:44But what we've been told is that these are small modules
17:47which are dealing to each other.
17:49But definitely, it's the Pakistan High Commission,
17:51at this point of time, which seems to be under scanner,
17:54because Ihsan-ur-Rehman, alias Danish,
17:58he's the one who'd actually been needling,
17:59and pinpointing, and getting all those people to work,
18:02and coerce them to work for Pakistan-based ISI agency.
18:06Remember, as far as Ghazala is concerned,
18:09a 32-year-old widow from Malher, Kotla,
18:11was convinced that he would marry her,
18:14and this is where he lured her in to make payments.
18:18Jyoti Malhotra, a travel blogger of sorts,
18:21and then she was not only given that free trip to Pakistan,
18:24but multiple trips,
18:25given access to some of the key persons.
18:29Also being told that her trip to Bali
18:31also actually had one of the Pakistani conduits
18:34who was part of it.
18:36So all this is being done, one, to create an image,
18:39and second, to also, after Pahalgam terror attack,
18:42put a message across that Pakistan's role was not there.
18:44So in a sense, trying to create a sort of certain message
18:49to the viewers in a certain sense,
18:51and play psychologically.
18:53So this is where also what we know is
18:55there are WhatsApp details as far as chats are concerned,
18:59Telegram chats are concerned.
19:00All this is under scanner,
19:02because some of them are deleted.
19:03For instance, Harkeerat,
19:04who's also part of the Haryana SGPC,
19:06who's being questioned as to how he introduced Jyoti
19:09to the Pakistan High Commission,
19:11who have actually sworn innocence and said
19:14that he has been taking a lot of Sikh jatas to Pakistan,
19:18and she was just one of them,
19:19and after that, she made her own contacts.
19:21So all this is now part of that,
19:23but remember, any sort of help being given to Pakistan,
19:26whether it's about mobile numbers,
19:28whether it's providing SIMs,
19:29whether it is providing any sort of photograph,
19:31GPS locations, all this is part of
19:34Pakistan High Commission members,
19:36and remember, this is part of international violation.
19:39You cannot be seeking, especially all these persons,
19:44to give you that kind of a help and develop sources.
19:46So Pakistan High Commission is definitely under scanner,
19:49and that is why Danish has been given a persona,
19:54non-grata, and sent back packing to Pakistan.
19:57But meanwhile, what he has left behind is a web of-
20:00He's a man who essentially got in touch,
20:01allegedly, with all of these people.
20:03Kamalji, thanks very much for those details.
20:04A quick update from Shreya also on Jyoti Malhotra.
20:07Shreya, we spoke about the motive
20:10of why someone would betray their country in this manner.
20:13The other question that comes up then, Shreya,
20:15is what was she getting in return?
20:17Was it just these free trips, or was there more?
20:20Were they dull, some sort of perks
20:21that Pakistan was providing her?
20:26Well, there was no, I mean,
20:27there's no denial that this was a perk.
20:30I mean, perks is what she was actually looking at,
20:33because clearly she did not come
20:35from a very well-to-do background.
20:37She comes from a disturbed family.
20:39Her parents are divorced.
20:40She's raised by a single parent.
20:43So lots going on on that front.
20:44She lost her job during the COVID time,
20:47and then subsequently, this is the intervening time,
20:50then in 2023, I mean, she decided to open a travel blog,
20:54and things transpired haywire.
20:56So definitely she saw a lot of perks
20:57that was given to her,
20:59be it trips to Bali, be it international trips,
21:01or for the fact that she was getting easy access
21:05to even a Pakistan visa.
21:07For that matter, there needs to be looked at
21:09whether these visas to China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh
21:12also had any kind of altercations or not.
21:14That's something that the agencies will look into.
21:17But clearly, this was perks per travel basis
21:20that she was enjoying.
21:21But we cannot really say that she was absolutely innocent.
21:24The reason I'm saying that, Akshita,
21:26even after understanding the gravity of the problem,
21:28when she's now being questioned,
21:30I've particularly asked those who are interrogating her,
21:32they say she shows no sign of remorse.
21:35And what she still holds to the ground is
21:37that what she did is an exercise of freedom of speech.
21:41That was exactly her word.
21:42And that, by now, is clearly shocking,
21:44despite knowing the gravity,
21:46if someone doesn't understand what she's ended up doing.
21:48You know, freedom of speech, sure.
21:51If you are visiting Pakistan with a visa, a valid visa,
21:54absolutely have the right to do that.
21:56If you have friends in Pakistan,
21:58absolutely have the right to do that.
21:59If you truly believe Pakistan is a great country,
22:02you still have the right to do that.
22:03But to do it with an ulterior motive,
22:05to do it to cater to Pakistan,
22:07and therefore, essentially, you're going ahead
22:10and putting India in peril.
22:12Doing it with that intention, 100% not okay,
22:15which is why she's been arrested right now.
22:17Thanks very much, Shreya,
22:18for joining us with all of those details.
22:21But it's not just Jyoti Malhotra.
22:23There have been multiple such Pakistan spy rings
22:26that are being busted across the country.
22:29After the arrest of Jyoti Malhotra,
22:31you've got agencies cracking down
22:32on this massive espionage racket.
22:34A suspected Pakistani spy has also confessed
22:38that he was working for Pakistan.
22:40The confession video that we have accessed here
22:43on India Today shows the Pakistan spy
22:46saying that he was told by Pakistani embassy officials
22:50to conduct a recce of air force bases in Haryana.
22:54The Pakistan embassy trapped the Haryana resident, he says,
22:57because he said that he would be paid.
23:01And so he went also for a Pakistan visa,
23:04and that's when they had told him,
23:05you conduct these recces, we'll pay you handsomely.
23:08Then you had a Uttar Pradesh resident, Shehzad,
23:10who was involved in cross-border smuggling,
23:12who's also been caught for espionage now.
23:15HE SPEAKS PAKISTANI
23:45HE SPEAKS PAKISTANI
23:57Bengaluru woke up this morning,
23:59this Monday morning to yet another waterlogged day,
24:02knee deep in rainwater,
24:04deeper in questions also about civic preparedness.
24:07Yes, there was unprecedented rainfall
24:10over the last 24 hours in Bengaluru.
24:12But add to that is the fact
24:14that the government was simply unprepared.
24:16The government, interestingly, marked two years in power,
24:19so they were busy with all of their events and functions,
24:22while residents had to wade through this.
24:34It's the same story every single year.
24:37Bengaluru underwater after a night of non-stop rainfall.
24:42Low-lying areas of the city and the usual victims.
24:47Homes built on lake beds went underwater.
24:52This morning around three o'clock, it started to pour,
24:55and that is the reason this entire road has been flooded.
24:58And if you notice, Sai Layout,
25:00we have reported time and again,
25:01probably a hundred times we have reported
25:04from that particular spot.
25:05It gets floods every time,
25:07but it has never crossed that particular layout
25:10and reached the main road.
25:12Vehicles, people, everybody is stranded.
25:16Municipal corporation, the government,
25:18whether it is a Congress government or a BJP government,
25:21nobody has learnt lessons from their past mistakes.
25:25The buses have been inundated.
25:27The entrance of the metro station is completely submerged.
25:32Hennur, Silk Road Junction, Kormangala,
25:35Old Airport Road, Intermediate Ring Road,
25:38several such spots have been inundated since last night
25:42because of the heavy rainfall.
25:43Met department data suggested that
25:45around a hundred millimetres of rainfall
25:48Bangalore has seen over the last six to seven hours.
25:51And hence the city has come to a standstill completely.
25:56It was a tough start to the week for Bangaloreans
25:59as many of their homes were full of knee-deep water.
26:03The insensitive rain last night has flooded many houses.
26:07And we have already shown the house of Matthew
26:09and there is one more house here at STR Layar
26:12where it was flooded.
26:13And you can see the residents are trying their level best
26:17by using buckets to clear the log water inside their house.
26:24Ma'am, when was the water started flooding
26:27in your house, at what time?
26:28I'm not sure at what time,
26:30I'm not sure at what time, early morning at around 7.30am or 8am,
26:36we saw it has flooded all over.
26:40As the Karnataka government celebrates two years in power,
26:43questions are being raised about the administration's preparedness
26:47with key ministers, including Bengaluru's in-charge,
26:51DK Shivakumar, reportedly occupied with meetings
26:54and anniversary events,
26:56rather than addressing the crisis on the ground.
26:59So much so that the government even blamed Bengalurians.
27:29People are struggling and these are not normal rain water flooding,
27:33these are sewage water which has been flooded,
27:36which is making it even more difficult for the people to reside
27:40as well as to clear the water from their house.
27:44This is Rajesh Sagaraj, reporting for India Today, Bengaluru.
27:49And moving on, let's also talk about what's been happening in Hyderabad,
27:53where a bomb plot has been set up by the government
27:58where a bomb plot was thwarted by a joint intelligence operation
28:02conducted by the Telangana police and the Andhra police.
28:05Two individuals, Siraj-ur-Rehman from Vijayanagar
28:09and Syed Sameer from Hyderabad have been arrested
28:12for planning a series of blasts in Hyderabad,
28:15which is extremely worrying.
28:17The investigation began after the police, acting on a tip-off,
28:20raided a house, they arrested Siraj,
28:22who was allegedly preparing explosive materials in that residence.
28:26Police have seized aluminium powder, sulphur powder,
28:28both used in the making of these explosives.
28:31Based on Siraj's confession, a team then tracked down Sameer in Hyderabad.
28:35He'd reportedly been in contact with Siraj through social media,
28:38was active in certain online groups as well.
28:41The duo had even planned a dummy blast as part of their preparations.
28:45It was also found that Siraj's father was actually, in fact, part of the police,
28:50so was his brother.
28:52Authorities revealed the accused were receiving instructions
28:55from a Saudi Arabia-based ISIS handler,
28:58and Instagram was their primary mode of communication.
29:01Both the accused are currently in custody.
29:13And the NIA has also been roped into the investigation.
29:17The bank accounts of Siraj and Sameer, the two accused, is being checked.
29:22Sources say that in this Instagram group,
29:24where the two accused were present,
29:26where they discussed these ISIS plans to bomb the city of Hyderabad,
29:30six people were part of this chat,
29:33and they were youngsters from Karnataka as well as from Maharashtra,
29:37which is extremely concerning because now authorities will have to ensure
29:41that they nab the others as well who are part of this planning.
29:44Apoorva Jayachandran is joining us with more details on this
29:47very concerning news that's come in, Apoorva.
29:51If it wasn't for the alert police in Telangana and Andhra,
29:55this would have been essentially a terror attack in the city of Hyderabad.
30:21And in these kind of searches that have taken place,
30:24is what was one of the searches that took place at Siraj from Vijayanagaram
30:29and Sameer from Hyderabad, second Rabat's houses as well.
30:32What we are getting to learn from sources is that
30:35Siraj and Sameer were part of a six-member group there,
30:38including people not only from Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh,
30:41but also in and across other states as well,
30:44and that all of them had been using Instagram as a means of communication
30:49We are also getting to learn is that Siraj had been often travelling to Hyderabad
30:54along with the others who were mentioned in that said Instagram group,
30:57where they had all met quite often in Hyderabad and had discussed as well.
31:01In fact, Siraj had also gone ahead and attended group-on-group
31:05two examinations there in Hyderabad.
31:07One of the excuses that had been used to also meet with Sameer as well.
31:11We are getting to learn from higher placed officials that
31:14they had been in touch with some sort of a handler there
31:18from Saudi Arabia, from where they had also learnt to make explosive devices,
31:23IED devices in particular,
31:25and that Siraj had also attempted to make trial and test runs
31:30at one specific location here in Andhra Pradesh as well.
31:37Okay, so that's something that right now the investigation will continue over
31:41on the locations that they had planned to target,
31:43but also about the others who were part of this Instagram group.
31:46Thanks very much, Apoorva, for joining us with those details.
31:52Let's also get you all the updates that have come in 24 hours
31:55after that horrific fire that was reported in a building in Hyderabad,
32:00very close to the Charminar on Sunday.
32:0217 members of a family died, including eight children.
32:07The incident has raised, for obvious reasons,
32:09serious concerns about the city's emergency preparedness,
32:12particularly because the opposition, BRSS KTR, KT Ramarao,
32:17slammed the poor response, alleging that ambulances lacked oxygen and masks
32:21and fire engines arrived without water, and so the fire blazed on.
32:26He claimed these failures may have cost lives
32:28and has also demanded compensation for the family that's been affected.
32:32Remember, the 70 people who've died, they belong to one family.
32:36Now, the Telangana government has ordered an inquiry by five departments.
32:40At this point, the suspicion is that there was a short circuit,
32:43but there's a question here about whether the building followed fire safety norms.
32:47These are old buildings in some of the oldest parts of Hyderabad
32:51where this fire broke out.
32:55This happened because of the criminal negligence
32:58of the state government and its departments.
33:01And I'm not just saying this because I'm in the opposition,
33:03but, you know, when an accident happens,
33:06how you swiftly respond, how you immediately respond
33:10and try to save people's lives, that's the most important thing.
33:13No review, no municipal minister, no home minister.
33:17Because of their negligence, if at least one or two people had survived today,
33:21out of 17, then at least that family would have got some relief.
33:25And they just announced five lakhs from the state government,
33:29ordered a probe and left. Where were they going?
33:37Let's get you an update on the Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting
33:41that's taking place where you have the Foreign Secretary Vikram Yusri
33:45briefing the committee on Operation Sundur.
33:47Sources telling us that the Foreign Secretary was asked about US overreach,
33:53about a possible threat of going nuclear by Pakistan,
33:57and whether Indian planes were downed.
34:00Now, an opposition member also asked if it's true
34:04that US had mediated because Trump had claimed seven times
34:07that he mediated in the ceasefire.
34:09And so the question was asked clearly of the government
34:12as to why they allowed Trump to claim credit
34:14and about why US repeatedly mentioned Kashmir,
34:18whether there was a need for the government to have hit back on this.
34:21Well, sources tell us that the government very clearly in that meeting
34:24has said that the ceasefire was at a bilateral level
34:27between India and Pakistan, US had no role.
34:30Importantly, on the issue that I mentioned,
34:32on whether there was nuclear threat by Pakistan,
34:35Vikram Yusri has communicated in fact to the Parliamentary Standing Committee
34:40that there was no nuclear signaling by Pakistan.
34:48All right, let's move on and get you the international story
34:51that we talked about here on Super 6,
34:53former US President Joe Biden's medical diagnosis
34:57that's led to, of course, an outpouring of concern and support from world leaders.
35:01He's been diagnosed with stage four of prostate cancer.
35:07Former US President Joe Biden has long carried the weight of cancer
35:11as a deeply personal issue after his son Bo died of brain cancer in 2015.
35:21Biden spearheaded the cancer moonshot initiative
35:24in an effort to cut cancer death rates.
35:27But now at 82, Biden himself is battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer
35:32that has spread to his bones.
35:37His office confirmed the diagnosis on Sunday,
35:40noting that while the cancer is aggressive,
35:42it appears to be hormone sensitive, offering a path for effective management.
35:48The cancer has spread to the bones that makes it stage four.
35:52That means that the cancer is not curable.
35:56There's definitely treatment available that can control the cancer.
35:59Two or three years is very realistic
36:02and some lucky patients get control for four, five, six and even longer.
36:08Biden was diagnosed on Friday after experiencing urinary symptoms.
36:12As he and his family evaluate treatment options,
36:16doctors said Biden is likely to undergo androgen deprivation therapy.
36:23In a lot of patients that get diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer,
36:25the treatment usually starts the day of the diagnosis.
36:28So patients may start on their androgen deprivation therapy,
36:32which is pretty much like hormone castration.
36:37Support has been pouring in from global leaders.
36:40Barack Obama tweeted, and I quote,
36:42nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer.
36:46We pray for a fast and full recovery, unquote.
36:50Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern,
36:53sending his wishes for a quick recovery and extended support to the Biden family.
36:58U.S. President Donald Trump said his family is very saddened
37:02and extended their warm wishes to Joe and Jill Biden.
37:08From personal loss to public advocacy,
37:11Joe Biden's fight against cancer has now become his own.
37:15Bureau Report, India Today.
37:24Now, amid speculation on whether India would be hosting or being a part of the Asia Cup,
37:31the BCCI has now made it very clear that there's been no discussion just yet on the Asia Cup.
37:37BCCI saying that all reports suggesting that we're boycotting the Asia Cup at this point is imaginary
37:43because so far there's been no discussion on it.
37:46It hasn't been ruled out by the Indian Cricket Board,
37:49but what the message is, what they're essentially saying is that we haven't discussed it just yet.
37:55Remember that Asia Cup 2025, India are the hosts of.
37:59So there's a big question mark in light of what's been happening between India and Pakistan
38:03on whether we choose to host it and also whether we'll even be a part of it.
38:07Nikhil Naz is joining us with more on this.
38:10Nikhil, what are your sources in the BCCI telling you about the possibility of us still hosting the Asia Cup?
38:16Akshita, I understand where this official statement comes from,
38:19because I believe there is going to be a formal meeting wherein the BCCI will then come with an official version
38:25around the month of August is where they're looking at.
38:28At the moment, they have their hands full.
38:30We're trying to finish the IPL that had been stopped midway.
38:33Having said that, what I'm picking up, there is no smoke without fire.
38:36And these informal discussions did take place when it comes to the future of Asia Cup
38:42and whether India will participate in the Asia Cup or not.
38:45And those discussions came up when you were trying to find a way to organize the rest of the IPL.
38:50Remember, when IPL was first decided to be suspended,
38:54there were talks of having the IPL around the time when Asia Cup was to happen around September.
39:00So that's the window that BCCI was looking at, which in turn tells you that there was this thought process
39:06or there is an inkling there within the BCCI that they may not be participating in the Asia Cup.
39:12In fact, Akshita, just to remind our viewers that Mr. Sunil Gavaskar,
39:16former India captain and we call him the voice of cricket, had in fact said on India Today itself
39:21that as things stand right now, you cannot be playing any sort of cricket with Pakistan.
39:25And in a scenario like that, even if India has to pull out of the Asia Cup, they should.
39:30If Asia Cup wants to continue without India, let that be.
39:33Let India then organize a tri-series or a quadrangular series with other countries and leave Pakistan aside.
39:40Remember, majority of the money that comes in to the Asia Cup comes from the Indian quarters,
39:45whether it is through television rights or through sponsorship.
39:48In fact, the television rights valued at 170 million all comes from India.
39:53India pulling out is going to be a major jolt to the Asia Cup.
39:56As of now, what I'm picking up, yes, there's no official statement.
39:59That will only come once the meeting is done.
40:01But BCCI is thinking on those lines.
40:04Now, let's see what happens.
40:06And we will, of course, track the latest that comes in from the BCCI.
40:09Thanks for the moment, Nikhil, for joining us with those details.
40:13And here's our fact check of the day.
40:16There are claims doing the rounds on social media.
40:18Not sure if you've seen this, but there are claims right now about YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra,
40:23who's been arrested for, in fact, espionage for her links to Pakistan.
40:27Now, the claim is that she has links with the Bharatiya Janata Party as well,
40:32with this picture doing the rounds right now.
40:35Is that true? Not at all.
40:37What we found when we processed this particular picture is that it is actually AI generated.
40:42And so this has been doing the rounds on social media.
40:45Not true. Jyoti Malhotra, who is currently in custody, who's been arrested, is not linked to the BJP.
40:52A reminder, once again, don't believe everything you see on social media.
40:56And here on India Today, we'll continue separating fact from fiction.
40:59That's all we have time for in this edition of Super 6.
41:02Thanks very much for tuning in.