YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra arrested for alleged espionage activities in Haryana

New Delhi (India) May 18: Jyoti Malhotra, a travel vlogger who goes by Jyoti Rani, was arrested on Saturday on charges of spying for Pakistan and disclosing secret Indian military information.

The 33-year-old youtuber is one of six people charged with espionage.

She shared several videos and reels from Pakistan, including her visit to the Katas Raj Temple and the Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore. "Ishq (love) Lahore" was the caption of one of her Instagram posts, which also focused on Pakistani food and culture.

When Jyoti Malhotra went to Pakistan for the first time in 2023, she met Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, who worked at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. She also became good friends with Rahim, who introduced her to other intelligence officers from Pakistan.

Jyoti Malhotra is suspected of giving important Indian Army movement and position details as part of an espionage network that covers Haryana and Punjab, and she also was in contact with these handlers after returning to India.

She also visited Kashmir in 2024, posting videos from the Srinagar-Banihal railway line and Dal Lake. The investigators also say that she developed a close relationship with one Pakistani agent and even traveled with him to Bali, Indonesia.

Investigators suspect that she intentionally tried to hide her connections with Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) by saving their contact numbers under fake names in order to avoid raising doubts. To avoid suspicion, she had saved their numbers under fake names, such as "Jatt Randhawa."

She had been in contact with Pakistani intelligence officers and provided them with private information on Telegram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp.

Authorities have said that her constant interactions with Pakistani intelligence agents led to a violation of the Official Secrets Act and threatened national security.

Aadrika Tayal