Jyoti Malhotra espionage case: Vlogger visited Kerala on official invitation, reveals RTI
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Malhotra participated in a tourism promotion initiative organized by the Kerala tourism department, which sponsored a group of social media influencers to boost the state's online presence as a travel hotspot.
The RTI reply confirms that the Kerala tourism department fully covered Malhotra's travel, accommodation, and itinerary expenses during her visit, reported by news agency ANI.
Kerala tourism minister PA Mohammed Riyas stated on Sunday that the Left-led state government and its ministers would never "knowingly" extend invitations or offer support to individuals involved in espionage.
His remarks came in response to questions about BJP leader K Surendran's claim that social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra, arrested in May for allegedly spying for Pakistan, had been invited to Kerala as part of a tourism promotion campaign.
Surendran, in a post on the social media platform X, referred to an RTI reply confirming Malhotra's invitation and questioned why "a Pak-linked spy's trip" was funded by Kerala Tourism.
The BJP leader had previously made similar allegations on X.
Rejecting these claims, Riyas stated that the government and its ministers would never knowingly invite a spy to the state and added that they were not afraid of such propaganda.
"We don't give any value to such propaganda as the people are with us," the minister said.
According to official records, Jyoti Malhotra visited Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Alappuzha, and Munnar as part of the government's influencer collaboration programme between 2024 and 2025.
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Her name appeared among several other digital creators who participated in the initiative between January 2024 and May 2025.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Malhotra had made multiple trips to Pakistan and had developed connections with officials linked to Pakistani intelligence agencies, including members of the Pakistan high commission. One of these officials was later expelled by India after their involvement was exposed.
Malhotra is among 12 people arrested in a coordinated crackdown across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, linked to an alleged spy network that reportedly targeted Indian social media influencers to collect intelligence.
Her YouTube channel, Travel with Jo, features 487 videos, with a significant number showcasing her travels in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand.
One of her earlier viral videos notably showed her wearing a traditional Kerala sari while attending a Theyyam performance in Kannur.
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