YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was groomed as a Pakistani asset: Police on espionage case

Popularly known by her YouTube channel "Travel with Jo", which boasts nearly 4 lakh subscribers, Jyoti Malhotra has now emerged as a key figure in an ongoing investigation into a suspected Pakistani espionage network spanning across northern India.

As per 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," he said.

Jyoti was in touch with Pakistani officer Danish posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi during the four-day military conflict following India's Operation Sindoor, which was launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 innocent lives, the officer said.

The YouTuber's multiple trips to Pakistan brought her under the scanner.

Police have also seized her phones and other gadgets as part of their probe into the espionage 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," Sawan said.

What did Jyoti tell the police?

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, during which Danish asked her to meet his acquaintance, Ali Ahwaan, who arranged for her travel and stay.

In Pakistan, Jyoti Malhotra attended high-profile parties, the police said.

"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.

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.

On May 13, India expelled Danish over alleged espionage charges.

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".