Jyoti Rani, also known as Jyoti Malhotra, an Indian YouTuber who ran the travel channel "Travel With Jo," has been arrested in Hisar, Haryana, on charges of spying for Pakistan. The arrest, made on Friday, May 16, 2025, has raised serious concerns about national security and has led to further investigations into her cross-border connections.
Malhotra, who described herself on YouTube as a "nomadic Leo girl wanderer" and a "modern girl with a traditional outlook," is accused of sharing sensitive information with Pakistani intelligence operatives. According to police reports, the 33-year-old came into contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, an official at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, approximately two years ago while seeking a visa to visit Pakistan.
During interrogation, Malhotra confessed to traveling to Pakistan twice after meeting Rahim. During these visits, she met Ali Ahwan, an acquaintance of Rahim, who facilitated her stay and travel within the country. Ahwan allegedly introduced her to Pakistani security and intelligence officials, including individuals identified as Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. To avoid suspicion, Malhotra saved Shakir's mobile number under the name "Jat Randhawa" in her phone.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), Malhotra stayed in touch with these Pakistani nationals via WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Telegram, sharing anti-national details with them. She also reportedly met Ehsan-ur-Rahim several times. Authorities claim that Malhotra's actions included wrongful communication of information that could benefit a foreign power and endanger the sovereignty, integrity, and unity of India.
Ehsan-Ur-Rahim was declared persona non grata by the Ministry of External Affairs on May 13, 2025, and was ordered to leave the country. This action followed hostilities after the Pahalgam terror attack and India's response, dubbed 'Operation Sindoor'. Rahim was accused of espionage and leaking sensitive information regarding the movements of the Indian Army.
Malhotra has been booked under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act and Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). She has been remanded to five days in police custody, and intelligence agencies are further investigating her involvement.
The arrest of Jyoti Malhotra is part of a broader crackdown on suspected spies in the region. In the past two weeks, ten arrests have been made across Haryana and Punjab, all allegedly connected to the same espionage network. Among those arrested are a 25-year-old student, Devendra Singh Dhillon, who allegedly shared sensitive information with Pakistan's ISI after visiting through the Kartarpur corridor, and a 24-year-old security guard, Nauman Ilahi, who allegedly received money for providing information.
Malhotra's YouTube channel, "Travel With Jo," boasts 377,000 subscribers, and she has over 132,000 followers on Instagram. She has posted numerous videos about her travels, including content from her trips to Pakistan in March and April. Investigators are now examining whether her channel was used as a cover for covert operations and whether she was tasked with portraying a positive image of Pakistan through her content.
Malhotra's father, a retired employee of the Haryana electricity department, has denied the allegations, claiming his daughter is being implicated. Neighbors said that Jyoti had previously worked for a private firm in Gurgaon but lost her job during the COVID-19 lockdown before becoming a travel blogger around three years ago.
