 "How YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra ‘spied’ for Pakistan: From Pahalgam visit to ties with Pak officials")
You’d pass her off as any other small-town YouTuber. Jyoti Malhotra is a travel blogger from Haryana, who describes herself as a “Nomadic Leo Girl. Wanderer. Haryanvi + Punjabi modern girl with old ideas”. Was it all a garb? The 33-year-old, also known as Jyoti Rani, is a “Pakistani spy”. She was arrested on Saturday (May 16) for allegedly spying for the neighbouring nation and leaking information about India during Operation Sindoor.
The woman from Hisar was arrested by the Haryana Police’s anti-espionage wing, marking the third arrest in the state related to spying. This came a week after the conditional ceasefire between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, which was in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack .
So, how did a YouTuber from Haryana get embroiled in espionage? We explain.
Who is Jyoti Malhotra, aka Jyoti Rani?
Jyoti Malhotra, also known as Jyoti Rani, is a graduate and the daughter of a retired Haryana power discom official. She ran a travel YouTube channel called “Travel with Joe” with over 3.2 lakh subscribers. She also has a substantial following of 1.37 lakh followers on Instagram (travelwithjo1) and has a presence on Facebook and Snapchat.
Her social media accounts reveal her interest in biking and solo travel. She has travelled across India and other Asian countries, including Pakistan, Bhutan, Indonesia and China.
Jyoti Malhotra has visited Pakistan twice. Her first visit was in 2023, where she got a visa arranged by commission agents. She visited the country again two months ago and posted multiple videos and reels about her travel to Lahore’s Anarkali Bazaar, Katas Raj Temple Complex in Pakistan’s Punjab province and her bus journey across the nation.
The vlogger posted several videos from her visits with titles such as “Indian Girl in Pakistan”, “Indian Girl Exploring Lahore”, and “Indian Girl at Katas Raj Temple”. “Ishq Lahore,” she wrote in one of her posts, as she compared the cultures of India and Pakistan and spoke about Pakistani cuisine.
It was her visits to the neighbouring country that caught the attention of Indian investigators.
Why was Jyoti Malhotra arrested?
The YouTuber was arrested by the Civil Lines police in Haryana and booked under the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. She was remanded to five days of police custody by a local court.
It was during Malhotra’s 2023 visit that she met Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, an official at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. She later developed close ties with Danish, with whom she kept in touch after returning to India. He reportedly introduced her to Pakistani intelligence operatives.
Police allege that Malhotra was regularly in touch with Pakistani intelligence operatives and shared sensitive information with them through WhatsApp, Telegram and Snapchat. She was reportedly told by her Pakistani handlers to portray a positive image of the country on social media.
“She has confessed to her role. Her travel history includes four visits to Pakistan, and she maintained encrypted communication with handlers on WhatsApp, Telegram and Snapchat,” DSP Kamaljit Singh was quoted as saying by The Economic Times.
What are Jyoti Malhotra’s links to Pakistan?
Malhotra and Danish stayed in touch after her 2023 visit to Pakistan. On her later visit, she met Pakistani intelligence officials who were introduced to her by Danish.
The investigation has revealed that the woman had links with the Pakistan High Commission in India. Last year, she attended an iftar party hosted by the commission after accepting a “special invite”. A video from the event shows her meeting Danish, who was declared persona non grata and expelled by India on espionage charges, say reports.
A video from the iftar event shows Malhotra saying that she was happy to see him (Danish) and the arrangements. The Pakistani High Commission staffer introduces her to other guests: “She is a YouTuber and a vlogger. Her name is Jyoti. Her channel is called Travel with Jo. She has over 100k subscribers.”
Commenting on the embassy’s gathering, Malhotra is seen saying, “See the arrangement at the embassy this time. It mesmerises me. I’m excited, super duper excited!”
The video ends with Danish thanking Malhotra. She is also seen discussing Pakistan’s National Day with him and his wife and asking other Indian attendees about their experiences when visiting the neighbouring nation, reports ET.
Malhotra became close to the Pakistani official and then started spying. She was reportedly honey-trapped by Danish, who is believed to be linked to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), according to Shesh Paul Vaid, former Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir.
The police have also found that Malhotra travelled with him to Indonesia’s Bali.
How Jyoti Malhotra “spied” for Pakistan
The travel vlogger was being “developed as an asset” by Pakistani intelligence officials. She was reportedly in touch with the agents during the recent India-Pakistan escalation. However, she did not have access to any direct defence-related information, according to India Today.
Investigators believe Pakistani officials are using social media influencers to push their narrative, and Malhotra was part of this agenda. She was in touch with PIOs during the recent India-Pakistan conflict.
“Even on May 6, a day before Operation Sindoor , Malhotra went to New Delhi and was in touch with [her handler] Danish, a staffer of the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi,” a source told The Times of India.
“In modern warfare, the enemy tries to set a positive narrative in its favour. The involvement of Malhotra suggests she helped them in setting narratives. This is how influencers and YouTubers are being roped in,” said Hisar Superintendent of Police (SP) Shashank Kumar Sawan.
According to Sawan, Malhotra visited Pakistan multiple times on sponsored trips, even before the Pahalgam attack.
Police are now examining Malhotra’s bank transactions and other devices to uncover the espionage network. “We are analysing her financial details…Her travel details are defying her total income,” the official said.
What do we know about Jyoti Malhotra’s Pahalgam visit?
As investigations continue, it has been revealed that Malhotra visited Pahalgam three months before the terror attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22, reports News18.
“Is it a coincidence that u tuber Jyoti Malhotra who was honey trapped by Danish, a Pakistani High Commission employee ( most probably ISI person) visited Pahalgam in January 2025? She was reportedly passing on sensitive information to ISI handlers,” (sic), he wrote on X.
“Our intelligence services normally keep under surveillance those frequently visiting the countries or High Commissions of anemy nations like Pakistan, China and now Bangladesh,” (sic), he added.
Is it a coincidence that u tuber Jyoti Malhotra who was honey trapped by Danish ,a Pakistani High Commission employee ( most probably ISI person) visited Pahalgam in January 2025? She was reportedly passing on sensitive information to ISI handlers. Our intelligence services… pic.twitter.com/kh8qe7yf2N
— Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) May 18, 2025
Was Jyoti Malhotra part of a larger spy network?
Malhotra also visited Puri in September 2024, where she met another woman in a coastal town, also a YouTuber, reports news agency PTI, quoting Puri SP Vinit Agarwal. The woman in Puri had also travelled to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan recently, the SP said.
At least five other people were arrested along with Malhotra for allegedly spying on India and providing information to Pakistan’s ISI since the launch of Operation Sindoor. Among the first arrests were two from Punjab, who leaked sensitive information and photographs of army cantonment areas and airbases to Pakistan’s intelligence agency.
The spy network was run by the Pakistan High Commission official working in Delhi, who was expelled by India on May 13.
On Sunday, another
businessman from Uttar Pradesh was arrested for spying for Pakistan.
Shahzad was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force (STF) from Moradabad for alleged involvement in cross-border smuggling and espionage activities. It is not clear if he is part of the same spy network as Malhotra’s.
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With inputs from agencies_
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