5 facts about YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, arrested for spying for Pakistan

Youtuber Jyoti Malhotra has been arrested for allegedly passing sensitive Indian information under the Official Secrets Act and Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Published on: May 18, 2025, 15:18:07 IST

By HT News Desk

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Jyoti Malhotra, a social media influencer posting travel content has been arrested in Hisar and has become a key figure in the alleged Pakistan-linked espionage network. She has been charged with spying for Pakistan with alleged links to the Pakistani operatives.

Jyoti Malhotra is from Haryana and runs a travel vlog named "Travel with Jo". (Instagram/@travelwithjo)

Here are five facts about Jyoti Malhotra

Social media influencer

Jyoti Malhotra hails from Hisar, Haryana, running a YouTube channel called “Travel with Jo”. She opened this channel in 2011 and has a total of 487 videos. With 381K subscribers, her videos feature her travelling in different countries like Bangladesh and Bhutan. In her YouTube bio, she describes herself as a ‘Nomadic Leo Girl’ and ‘Wanderer Haryanvi Punjabi.’

Arrested under Official Secrets Act and BNS

She has been arrested by Hisar police for allegedly passing sensitive information about India to Pakistani intelligence operatives and was actively projecting a positive image of Pakistan on social media. She was booked under Sections 3,4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act and under Section 152 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). An FIR lodged in Hisar says that Malhotra came into contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission, which according to the external affairs ministry has been declared persona non grata for indulging in activities outside his official status in India.

Alleged ties with Pakistan

In one of her vlogs, Malhotra revealed her relations with Ehsan-ur-Rahim. During an Iftar party on the occasion of the National Day of Pakistan, she enters the embassy and meets Ehsan-ur-Rahim, warmly greets him in a manner that they know each other, before proceeding to appreciate the arrangements of the party.

A man warned about Malhotra a year before her arrest

Even before her arrest a man on X warned the National Investigation Agency to look into Malhotra’s activities. An X user named Kapil Jain had warned the NIA in May 2024. Requesting them to keep a watch on her as she first visited the Pakistani embassy function and then visited Kashmir. “May be some link behind all these: Jain posted along with a screenshot of Malhotra’s YouTube page.

Travelled to Pakistan and Bali

In 2023, Malhotra reportedly visited Pakistan twice, meeting Ali Ehwan, Shakir, and Rana Shahbaz. Moreover she had saved contact under the disguise of fake names like “Jatt Randhawa” to avoid suspicion. She also allegedly traveled to Bali, Indonesia, with one of the intelligence operatives.

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HT News Desk
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