Jyoti Malhotra's journey from being a travel YouTuber to a Pakistani spy has revealed a new battleground of modern warfare, where intelligence agencies lure influencers from another country and use them to shape narratives. At the same time, it is a story of how greed for quick money and a luxurious lifestyle led an influencer into tricky territory. The YouTuber was arrested on Friday on espionage charges and remanded in custody for five days.
The Influencer Race
Following the Covid pandemic, the content creation universe has turned saturated and increasingly competitive. As more and more people take to content creation with the dream of becoming an influencer, they get drawn into a relentless race for 'likes' and views. To keep the momentum up, they must create fresh content consistently. And to do that, they need connections and resources.
Jyoti Malhotra, 33, has 3.85 lakh subscribers on her YouTube channel 'Travel With Jo'. Her bio describes her as "Nomadic Leo Girl, Wanderer Haryanvi + Punjabi" and a "modern woman with old-school ideas". Her YouTube account has videos and reels of travel in which she describes her experiences.
Jyoti Malhotra's Pak Link
She had travelled to about eight countries, including China and Pakistan. Over time, Jyoti came in touch with Pakistani information officers and was being developed as an asset, police have said.
According to Hisar's Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan, Jyoti Malhotra did not have direct access to any information related to the military or defence operations that she could have shared, but she was in touch with Pakistani officials. "Certainly, they were developing her as an asset. She was in touch with other YouTube influencers. They were also in touch with PIOs (public information officers)," the senior police officer told the media. "This is also (a kind of) warfare, in which they try to push their narrative by recruiting influencers."
How She Met Pak Officer
Jyoti Malhotra was in touch with Pakistani officer Danish posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi during the four-day military conflict after India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 innocents dead, the officer said.
Her multiple trips to Pakistan brought her under the radar. Police have also seized her phones and other gadgets as part of their investigation into her links. In March last year, she visited the Pakistani embassy and uploaded a video. "Socialisation is allowed, but one should understand their intentions. Pakistan is not a normal country for us. Undertaking multiple visits, socialising and remaining in touch with them during the conflict and exchanging favours endangers the unity and sovereignty of the country," Mr Sawan said.
The Pak Meetings
Jyoti has told police that Danish befriended her in their first meeting and they started talking over the phone. In 2023, she got a 10-day visa to visit Pakistan. Danish asked her to meet his acquaintance, Ali Ahwaan, who arranged for her travel and stay. In Pakistan, Jyoti Malhotra attended high-profile parties, police have found.
"In Pakistan, Ali Ahwan arranged a meeting with Pakistani security and intelligence officials and I met Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. I took Shakir's mobile number and saved it in my phone under the name of 'Jat Randhawa' to avoid suspicion. Then I came back to India and remained in constant touch with all the above people through platforms like WhatsApp, Snapchat and Telegram and started sharing information," officials quoted Malhotra as saying.
The Money Trail
The officer said police are currently questioning Jyoti Malhotra. "We are analysing her financial transactions, travel details, where she went and whom she met," he said, adding that Haryana police is also coordinating with central agencies. Police have also found that Jyoti Malhotra has a lavish lifestyle, not in line with her income and are investigating this aspect too. She always travelled first class on flights, stayed in plush hotels and dined in high-end restaurants. Police said she appears to have visited Pakistan on a "sponsored trip".
Shortly after her return from Pakistan, where she got VIP treatment, Jyoti Malhotra travelled to China. In China, too, she travelled in luxury cars and visited expensive jewellery shops. The lavish trips and suspicious meetings put the YouTuber on the security radar.
Pahalgam and Op Sindoor
On May 13, India expelled Danish for allegedly indulging in espionage. Two days later, Jyoti was arrested. Asked if the YouTuber spoke to her Pakistani contacts during Operation Sindoor, the police officer said she was "in touch with the PIOs and the person who was declared persona non grata". "We will do a forensic analysis of her laptop and other electronic gadgets. It will then be clear what information she shared," he said. In one of her videos, she was requesting a visa to visit China, he said. Mr Sawan said Jyoti went to Kashmir before the Pahalgam attack and visited Pakistan before that. He said police are also trying to find if there was a link between these trips.
Jyoti May Not Be Alone
Police have said Jyoti Malhotra could be one of several influencers in touch with Pakistani officials. "Through her, we are also investigating other Indian contacts. We have some leads that some more could be involved. Odisha Police are investigating a Puri YouTuber who met Jyoti Malhotra when she visited the coastal temple town last year.
Puri police chief Vinit Agrawal has said police are now verifying the facts. "After the verification is complete, we will put forward all the facts. Along with this, we are in touch with different agencies of different states, central agencies, Haryana Police and we will provide whatever information they need from us."
Priyanka Senapati, the Puri YouTuber Jyoti met, has said she was unaware of the allegations against her. "Jyoti was only a friend, and I came into contact with her through YouTube. I was completely unaware of the serious charges against her. Had I known she was spying for an enemy country, I would have never maintained any contact with her," she wrote.
What Jyoti's Father Said
Jyoti's father Haris Malhotra said she visited Pakistan to shoot YouTube videos and went after getting necessary permissions. "She used to visit Pakistan and other places to shoot videos for YouTube," Mr Malhotra told ANI. Responding to allegations that she was in touch with Pakistani officials, he said, "If she has some friends there, can't she call them? I have no demands, but give us our phones. A case has been registered against us." The YouTuber has been charged under the Official Secrets Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
