'Madam N' and influencer spies: How Pakistani businesswoman built sleeper cell network in India; ISI-backed spy ring under lens

As India cracks down on a suspected Pakistan-backed spy ring spreading across the country, one unsettling question emerges: How did Indian influencers end up working against their own country?

At the center of this mystery is Noshaba Shehzad, a Pakistani businesswoman with high-level connections and a seemingly ordinary travel agency, Jaiyana Travel and Tourism. But behind the tourist brochures, Shehzad allegedly helped orchestrate a sophisticated espionage network with the backing of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

According to sources cited by NDTV, Shehzad isn’t just a travel agent, she’s “Madam N”, an ISI codename for the woman who reportedly laid the groundwork for a sleeper cell network inside India, with a target of recruiting up to 500 operatives who could blend in with the population unnoticed.

Her strategy? Start with influencers. Arrested Instagram personality Jyoti Malhotra was allegedly among the many Indian citizens Shehzad lured into Pakistan under the pretext of cultural trips and tourism.

But what began as guided visits soon turned into groundwork for spying.

Sources say Shehzad worked hand-in-hand with Pakistani officials and ISI handlers, even manipulating the visa process through the Pakistani Embassy in Delhi. With just a call to key officials like Suhail Qamar (First Secretary, Visa) and Umar Sheryar (Counsellor, Trade), Shehzad could reportedly get Pakistani visas approved almost instantly for people she handpicked.

She was also in close contact with Danish aka Ehsan-ur-Rehman, a known ISI operative working at the embassy until he was expelled in May—shortly after Malhotra’s arrest. Notably, Madam N’s husband is said to be a retired officer of Pakistan’s civil services, adding another layer to her insider access.

Though there is no official tourism corridor between India and Pakistan, Shehzad allegedly managed to send over 3,000 Indian citizens and 1,500 NRIs across the border in just six months. Many of these trips were organized under the banner of religious pilgrimage, Sikh and Hindu yatras permitted only through her agency, thanks to a tie-up with Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board.

Investigators believe the agency was used not only to facilitate travel but also to funnel funds into anti-India propaganda efforts. Pilgrims were reportedly overcharged, with the excess diverted for covert operations.

Shehzad’s network didn’t stop at Pakistan’s border. She’s said to have recruited travel agents in Delhi and other Indian cities, creating a domestic pipeline to push unsuspecting Indian citizens into her espionage web.