Pak spy accused vlogger Jyoti Malhotra visited Kerala on govt invitation, reveals RTI

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Jyoti Malhotra, a 33-year-old vlogger from Haryana recently arrested on charges of espionage for Pakistan, had earlier visited Kerala on an official invitation from the state government, said an RTI (Right to Information) reply that has now surfaced. The RTI response confirms that Malhotra's travel, stay, and itinerary expenses were fully covered by the department during her visit.
Malhotra was part of a tourism promotion campaign organised by the Kerala Tourism Department, which funded a group of social media influencers to enhance the state's digital visibility as a travel destination.
The RTI response confirms that Malhotra's travel, stay, and itinerary expenses were fully covered by the department during her visit.
As per official records, Jyoti Malhotra toured Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Alappuzha, and Munnar between 2024 and 2025 under the government's influencer collaboration initiative. Her participation was listed alongside several other digital creators active between January 2024 and May 2025.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday strongly condemned reports that YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who has been arrested on espionage charges, was invited by the Kerala government for promoting tourism in the state.
'The Communist Party of India strongly condemns the BJP's attempt to drag the Kerala government into the Jyoti Malhotra espionage case to cover up its own grave failures on national security,' CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar said in a statement.
Kumar said it was outrageous to suggest that a state government was responsible for a YouTuber's travel to Pakistan when passport issuance, visa clearance, and intelligence monitoring are all under the control of the Union government.
'Did the Kerala government approve her visits to Pakistan? Did it place her in contact with ISI handlers in Delhi? This is a desperate and politically motivated deflection,' he said.
He also alleged that the BJP had a long list of embarrassments involving its members linked to 'espionage and terrorism.'Some BJP leaders, including spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, had cited an RTI reply to claim that Malhotra had visited Kerala on an invite of the state government.
'So Bharat Mata is blocked and Pak spies are given red carpet by the Left,' Poonawalla had said.
Kumar parried the charge, saying, 'Instead of taking responsibility, the BJP is now targeting Kerala over a routine tourism event Malhotra once attended despite no link between that and her ISI recruitment. The Centre's own agencies failed to detect multiple Pakistan trips and foreign funding, all under their direct jurisdiction.'
Investigations have since revealed that Malhotra had travelled to Pakistan multiple times and had established contacts with officials from Pakistani intelligence agencies, including personnel from the Pakistan High Commission. One such official was later expelled by India after their association came to light.
Malhotra is one of 12 individuals arrested across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh as part of a coordinated crackdown on a suspected spy ring that allegedly targeted Indian social media influencers to gather intelligence.
Her YouTube channel, 'Travel with Jo', hosts 487 videos, many of which are from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand.
Notably, one of her earlier viral videos featured her wearing a Kerala sari and attending a Theyyam performance in Kannur.