YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra Arrested for Spying for Pakistan
Travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra was arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan. After her 2023 trip to Lahore, she stayed in touch with Pakistani operatives.
Jyoti Malhotra, once known as a cheerful travel YouTuber, is now in the headlines for a serious reason. She is accused of spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency – ISI. Her journey from sharing travel videos to facing national security charges has shocked many.
33-year-old Jyoti Malhotra lived with her parents in Krishna Nagar, Hisar. Her father, Rajendra Haris, owns a mobile repair shop. He believes his daughter is innocent and told reporters, “Can’t she have friends in Pakistan?”
Online, she was famous as "Travel with Jo", a YouTube channel with 3.7 lakh subscribers. She described herself as a "nomadic Leo girl" and "Wanderer Haryanvi Punjabi". She had travelled to countries like Pakistan, China, Bhutan, and Indonesia. Many people liked her bold videos about cross-border travels.
In early May 2025, Indian intelligence agencies like RAW started watching several influencers after getting information about possible links to foreign agencies. Jyoti’s name came up during this investigation.
She had travelled to Pakistan in 2023 using a visa arranged by agents. During her visit, she met a man named Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also called Danish, who worked at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Reports say she had a close relationship with him.
Through Danish, she met people connected to Pakistan’s spy agency – ISI. After returning to India, she stayed in touch with them on apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. Police believe she shared important information with them. She even travelled to Bali with one of them.
On 17th May 2025, Haryana Police arrested Jyoti under the Official Secrets Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). She was found to be in contact with a Pakistani agent named Shakir, saved in her phone as “Jatt Randhawa”.
Her social media showed posts praising Pakistan and photos from events at the Pakistan High Commission. These raised suspicions.
On 18th May, the investigation showed that Jyoti may not be working alone. Chats and contacts on her phone hinted at a bigger spy network. At least six other people are now being watched.
On 19th May, NDTV reported that a businessman named Shahzad from Uttar Pradesh was arrested in a related case. Like Jyoti, he too had links with Pakistani handlers and is accused of sharing sensitive information online.
In another big case, Nauman Elahi, a 24-year-old man from Kairana (Uttar Pradesh), was arrested on 12th May in Panipat, Haryana. He worked as a security guard and lived with his sister. Police say he was also in contact with Pakistani agents.
Some unconfirmed reports say Elahi had visited Pakistan four times, had eight passports, and was in contact with 150 local people. However, these details have not yet been officially confirmed.
Jyoti Malhotra is still in police custody. Till now, no bail request has been filed. The government is now checking more influencers and digital creators for foreign connections. More arrests could happen soon.
This case has raised many questions about how foreign agencies may be using social media to get secret information from India.
