SRINAGAR: YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who runs the travel channel Travel with Jo, has been arrested by Haryana Police in Hisar on charges of spying for Pakistani intelligence. While authorities allege, she maintained contact with Pakistani agents and shared sensitive information, her father has insisted she travelled to Pakistan and other countries solely to create video content for her YouTube channel.
Hisar Police, according to reports appearing in the media, Malhotra was detained Malhotra after a probe revealed she was in regular contact with a Pakistani national identified as Ahsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, who is said to be associated with the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Hisar DSP Kamaljeet confirmed her arrest under the Official Secrets Act and section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, saying, “She was in continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen. Suspicious material was recovered from her mobile and laptop.”
Malhotra was remanded to five days in police custody as officials began examining her communications, bank transactions and travel history. Police sources say that during interrogation, she admitted to meeting Rahim at the Pakistan High Commission in 2023 while applying for a visa. Subsequently, she reportedly travelled to Pakistan twice and met individuals believed to be part of the country’s intelligence apparatus.
Pakistan High Commission in Delhi identífies vulnerable social influencers u tubers, calls them for dinners, and sends invitation to visit Pakistan, traps them by giving gifts , stay at 5 star hotels.
In case of Jyoti Malhotra she was reportedly honey trapped by one Danish… pic.twitter.com/mm5a9fgLLH— Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) May 18, 2025
Her father, Harish Malhotra, strongly defended her actions in a conversation with ANI, saying. “She used to visit Pakistan and other places to shoot videos for YouTube. If she has friends there, can’t she call them?” He also revealed that their mobile phones, laptops, bank documents and passports had been seized by the police, and a case was registered against the family. Harish, a retired carpenter, said he raised his daughter alone after being divorced two decades ago, and she had always maintained she was innocent.
The case took a serious turn when investigators alleged that Jyoti Malhotra moved freely within Pakistan without the restrictions typically imposed on Indian nationals. She was reportedly provided with VIP treatment, personal security, and access to high-profile events, privileges authorities claim were arranged through her Pakistani contacts. Among those she met were intelligence officers named Shakir and Rana Shahbaz, introduced to her by one Ali Ahwaan during her 2023 trip.
The espionage investigation intensified after Malhotra’s social media content, particularly an interview with Pakistani politician Maryam Nawaz, which garnered over seven lakh views, raised red flags among Indian intelligence agencies. Officials suspect that the travel vlogs were being used as a cover to mask deeper contacts with foreign operatives. Her travel history includes visits to China, Nepal, Dubai, Indonesia, Thailand and Bhutan. A luxury trip to China in 2024, shortly after her Pakistan visit, reportedly further fuelled intelligence suspicion, the news reports claimed.
Police have also begun examining her bank accounts and internet activity, and a cyber cell is combing through suspicious messages and social media records. A special police team has been dispatched to Delhi to recover CCTV footage from locations frequented by the accused, and her seized devices are now undergoing forensic examination.
Investigative agencies are also exploring whether Malhotra, who holds a valid passport issued in 2018, is part of a larger espionage network. Police sources claim at least six people from Punjab and Haryana have been arrested in connection with the same probe.
With over 3.77 lakh subscribers on her YouTube channel and a Silver Play Button awarded by the platform, Malhotra enjoyed a significant following. Her content, however, has now come under scrutiny as authorities dig deeper into whether she used her online persona as a conduit for covert operations. She has spent many days in Kashmir, including Pahalgam, before the April 22 massacre took place. Before her arrest, Danish was declared persona non grata by the government of India and sent home.
