A Haryana-based YouTuber, Jyoti Malhotra, also known as Jyoti Rani, who runs a travel account on YouTube called 'Travel With Jo' with over 377,000 subscribers, has been arrested from Hisar in Haryana for allegedly sharing sensitive information with Pakistani operatives. She is accused of espionage and leaking confidential military information to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Malhotra's arrest is part of a larger investigation into an alleged Pakistan-linked espionage network operating across northern India. Six individuals from Punjab and Haryana, including Malhotra, have been arrested for their roles in spying, relaying sensitive information, and providing financial and logistical support to Pakistani handlers.
According to the FIR, Malhotra visited the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023, where she met Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission (PHC) in New Delhi. Indian authorities suspect that Danish, who has been declared persona non grata by the Indian government and expelled on May 13, 2025, introduced Malhotra to multiple Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs).
Police reports indicate that Malhotra stayed in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, and during her Pakistan visits in 2023, she met Ali Ehwan, who arranged her stay and travel in Pakistan. Ehwan then introduced her to Pakistani security and intelligence officials, including Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. Malhotra allegedly saved Shakir's name as 'Jatt Randhawa' to avoid suspicion. After returning from Pakistan in 2023, she remained in contact with these individuals through encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat, sharing anti-national information. Officials also claim that Malhotra shared sensitive information about Indian locations.
Malhotra is charged with endangering India's sovereignty, unity, and integrity by carrying out suspicious activities and exchanging Indian intelligence information with a Pakistani citizen who has been declared persona non grata for espionage. She has been booked under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act. Malhotra has been remanded to five days of police custody. The case has been handed over to Hisar's Economic Offences Wing for further investigation.
Authorities say that Malhotra also projected a positive image of Pakistan on social media, potentially as part of a coordinated influence operation. In March 2025, she posted upbeat YouTube shorts detailing her journey to Pakistan, where she explored Hindu pilgrimage sites.
This arrest comes after recent hostilities, including the Pahalgam terror attack and India's response, "Operation Sindoor". It also follows the expulsion of the Pakistani official, Ehsan-ur-Rahim, for espionage and leaking sensitive information about Indian Army movements.
Another arrest in this network includes Devendra Singh Dhillon, a 25-year-old student arrested from Kaithal on May 12 for uploading photos of guns on social media. He admitted to visiting Pakistan through the Kartarpur corridor in November 2024 and sharing sensitive information with ISI officers, including images of the Patiala military cantonment.
