The arrest of Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra on espionage charges has brought her connections to Pakistani operatives under intense scrutiny. According to Hisar SP Shashank Kumar Sawan, Pakistani intelligence operatives were actively working to cultivate Malhotra as a long-term asset. While she had no direct access to military intelligence, her connections with other influencers made her a potential tool for "narrative warfare," the officer said.

SP Sawan revealed that Malhotra was in contact with a Pakistani officer stationed at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi during the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 civilians were killed. This official has since been declared persona non grata and expelled by India.

Malhotra, who runs a YouTube channel named 'Travel with JO' with over 382,000 subscribers, had visited Pakistan multiple times and also traveled to China. SP Sawan stated that Malhotra visited Pakistan multiple times on sponsored trips and also visited the country before the Pahalgam attack. The investigation is ongoing to establish any possible linkages.

Authorities believe Malhotra was part of a broader Pakistani strategy to use social media influencers as tools of "narrative warfare." Police said she was in touch with other influencers who may also have been recruited by Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) to subtly push anti-India narratives.

Malhotra reportedly attended events at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi and posted content praising Pakistan on her social media platforms, including calling Lahore the "cultural heart of Pakistan." Authorities suspect her frequent trips to Pakistan were sponsored and part of a broader effort to cultivate her as an asset for Pakistani intelligence.

Malhotra has been booked under the Official Secrets Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). She is currently on a five-day police remand, during which investigators are analyzing her financial transactions, travel history, and electronic devices. Forensic experts are expected to play a key role in determining what information, if any, was passed to PIOs.

The YouTuber's arrest follows the recent detention of two individuals in Punjab's Malerkotla district, also linked to espionage networks allegedly tied to the same Pakistani official. Meanwhile, the Odisha Police have started an investigation into the alleged links between Puri-based YouTuber Priyanka Senapati and Jyoti Malhotra.

SP Sawan said that authorities believe Jyoti Malhotra was part of a broader Pakistani strategy to use social media influencers as tools of "narrative warfare". Police said she was in touch with other influencers who may also have been recruited by PIOs to subtly push anti-India narratives.