The recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, has shaken the entire nation to its core. In the wake of it, India has implemented a number of measures to beef up security and deter such attacks in the future. The government raised troop deployment in sensitive locations immediately and stepped up surveillance in vulnerable regions. The intelligence agencies have been placed on high alert, with increased coordination between the central and state forces. In addition, the administration is examining standard operating procedures (SOPs) for civilian movement in areas of conflict.
Adding more concern, an Indian travel YouTuber, Jyoti Malhotra or Jyoti Rani, was arrested a few days ago on espionage charges. According to reports, she was reportedly providing sensitive Indian military information to Pakistan. She was arrested weeks after the Pahalgam attack and in the midst of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Today, her father responded to the shocking news.
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Jyoti’s father has denied all claims of espionage against his daughter
Jyoti Malhotra is one of the most well-known social media personalities for travel advice, with around 4 million subscribers to her YouTube travel channel, Travel with Jo. However, she has been the focus of social media ever since her recent arrest due to her connections to Pakistani intelligence services.
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Now, her father has denied any espionage allegations, claiming that his daughter’s vacation to Pakistan was solely for the purpose of filming videos for her YouTube channel. He added that cops had confiscated their laptop, phone, and bank paperwork. Speaking to ANI, Haris Kumar stated:
She used to visit Pakistan and other places to shoot videos for YouTube. 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.
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What are the exact allegations that Jyoti Malhotra faced?
Jyoti Malhotra is a Hisar, Haryana native who owns the “Travel with Jo” YouTube channel. She started this channel in 2011 and has 487 videos on it. Her videos, which have 381K subscribers, show her traveling to places like Bangladesh and Bhutan.
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Recently, Hisar police have detained her for allegedly giving Pakistani intelligence agents critical information about India and for deliberately promoting a favorable picture of Pakistan on social media. She was charged under Section 152 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Official Secrets Act.
She was associated with the Pakistan High Commission
Malhotra allegedly met Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission. For the uninitiated, Danish has been declared persona non grata by the external affairs ministry for engaging in activities outside of his official standing in India, as the formal complaint filed in Hisar.
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In one of her vlogs, Malhotra disclosed her relationship with Ehsan-ur-Rahim. She enters the embassy during an Iftar celebration on the National Day of Pakistan, greets Ehsan-ur-Rahim cheerfully and as if they know one another, and then expresses gratitude for the party’s arrangements.
Malhotra allegedly made two trips to Pakistan in 2023, where she met Ali Ehwan, Shakir, and Rana Shahbaz. Additionally, she had saved contacts under fictitious identities like “Jatt Randhawa” in order to evade suspicion. She also visited Kashmir in 2024, posting videos from the Srinagar-Banihal railway line and Dal Lake. Additionally, investigators assert that she developed a close relationship with one Pakistani agent and even traveled with him to Bali, Indonesia.
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Her arrest follows Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory operation in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
What do you think about her case? Do share your thoughts with us in the comment section of this article.
