New Delhi: Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra has been arrested on charges of espionage for Pakistan. A popular digital content creator with over 3.77 million subscribers on her YouTube channel ‘Travel with JO’, she is accused of using her influencer status as a cover to pass sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence operatives.
Investigators believe the trail of espionage began at a high-profile Iftar party hosted by the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Invited by Ahsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani national posted at the High Commission, Jyoti attended the event in 2023. A video of the party, filmed by Jyoti herself, shows her in candid conversation with Danish—revealing a level of familiarity that has now come under intense scrutiny.
It was at this gathering, officials say, that Danish introduced Jyoti to members of Pakistan’s intelligence community. These meetings, described by authorities as “carefully staged interactions”, were the beginning of a covert relationship that allegedly culminated in the transfer of classified information across the border.
Secret communications and code names
According to the FIR, after returning from the event, Jyoti maintained regular contact with Danish and other Pakistani handlers using secure messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. She is said to have saved the number of one Pakistani intelligence officer—Shakir alias Rana Shahbaz—under the pseudonym ‘Jatt Randhawa’ to avoid suspicion.
Sources within the investigating agencies suggest that this was a deliberate attempt to conceal her links to foreign operatives and mask the transmission of strategic data, possibly relating to internal infrastructure, security movement, and civic administration.
The Pakistan travel vlogs
Malhotra’s social media features several travel videos from Pakistan, including ‘Indian Girl in Pakistan’, ‘Exploring Lahore’, and a visit to the revered Katas Raj Temple. While initially perceived as cross-border cultural content, officials now allege that these trips were part of a larger plan orchestrated by Pakistani handlers. Her online persona—a friendly, curious traveller—provided the perfect façade for intelligence-gathering.
Arrest and charges
The Hisar Police, acting on credible intelligence, arrested Malhotra from New Aggarsain Extension. She has been booked under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. The court has granted five days of police remand, and she will next appear before the court on May 22.
DSP Kamaljeet, speaking to the press, confirmed that digital forensic analysis of her seized devices has uncovered “suspicious material” consistent with espionage activities.
