Latest news with #withJo
India.com
07-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
RTI Reveals Kerala Govt Sponsoring Visit Of Spy Suspect Jyoti Malhotra
New Delhi: The Kerala government has come under heavy fire after it was revealed that Jyoti Malhotra, a social media influencer recently arrested on espionage charges, had visited the state as part of a government-sponsored tourism promotion campaign. Malhotra, a Haryana-based vlogger, is now accused of leaking sensitive information to Pakistan. Shockingly, her entire trip across Kerala was facilitated and funded by the state's Tourism Department under an official influencer outreach initiative. Documents obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act confirm that her travel, accommodation, food, and even filming arrangements were handled by a private agency contracted by the department. She was among 41 influencers selected to promote Kerala as a global tourist destination. During her multi-city visit, Malhotra toured Kochi, Kannur, Kozhikode, Alappuzha, Munnar, and Thiruvananthapuram. She arrived in Kerala via Kannur airport after travelling from Delhi to Bengaluru. Her vlogs included visuals of Theyyam performances and scenic locations, all of which were shared on her YouTube channel Travel with Jo and other social media platforms. She eventually returned to Delhi by train. At the time of her visit, no suspicions had been raised regarding her activities. However, her arrest in May 2025 under the Official Secrets Act has now cast a shadow over the episode. Central intelligence agencies are probing whether her video content may have served as a cover for intelligence-gathering. Investigators are also examining whether she accessed strategically sensitive locations or communicated with Pakistani handlers during her stay. Adding to the growing alarm, Haryana Police have confirmed that Malhotra had visited Pakistan shortly before the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir - raising serious questions about her potential ties to ISI operatives. Amid the controversy, Kerala's Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas defended the decision to bring Malhotra to the state. He insisted that the program was launched with good intentions and followed the precedents set by previous governments. 'This was part of a larger influencer campaign aimed at promoting Kerala. Everything was done transparently and in good faith,' Riyas said. 'This is not a government that facilitates espionage. The media must understand how government systems work. No one could have foreseen this.' However, opposition parties were quick to respond. Both the Congress and the BJP criticised the state's failure to conduct adequate background checks on the influencers invited under official programs. They demanded accountability for what they termed a 'serious lapse in judgment' that could have had national security implications. The ongoing investigation has triggered a wider debate on the intersection of tourism promotion and national security. Many are now calling for more rigorous vetting procedures for individuals participating in government-sponsored initiatives, especially those involving sensitive travel routes or infrastructure. With Malhotra still in custody and the probe expanding, the Kerala government finds itself on the defensive, scrambling to contain the fallout from what is now being called one of the most embarrassing intelligence lapses linked to a state-sponsored tourism effort.
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Spying' for Pak: Vlogger Jyoti Malhotra sent to judicial custody
A district court here on Monday remanded travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, accused of spying for Pakistani intelligence agencies, in judicial custody . The 33-year-old had been in police remand for 10 days prior to that. The Haryana Police had on May 21 said that till now no such fact has come to light to show that the YouTuber had access to any military, defence or strategic information or that she was in contact with any terrorist organization. The police has not issued any updates in the matter since. Hisar SP Shashank Kumar Sawan earlier said that the accused was in contact with some people knowing they are Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs). 'But till now no such fact has come to light directly which can be said that the accused was in contact with any terrorist organization. No fact has come to light so far regarding the accused's involvement in any terrorist incidents,' added the SP. The SP said the police seized three mobile phones, a laptop and some other electronic devices from the accused. Malhotra has a YouTube channel called Travel with Jo with over 3,77,000 subscribers and an Instagram account with over 1,32,000 followers. 'She visited Pakistan multiple times and also went to China once. We are analysing her financial transactions and travel details. She was in touch with PIOs (Pakistan Intelligence Operatives). She did not have direct access to military or defence information, though Hisar is a strategic location,' the SP had shared. Sawan had said one of her Pakistan visits was 'sponsored'. 'She met some high-profile persons. Why and what information was shared; all these things are being probed.' The police also said she possibly 'fell into a trap for views and likes' and 'her travel details show more expenses than her known sources of income'.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
6 AK-47s, ‘VIP' Security - New details of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's Pakistan visit sparks outrage
New details from YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's visit to Pakistan have sparked a row, with visuals recorded by Scottish content creator Callum Mill, showing the espionage accused in Lahore's Anarkali Bazaar with six armed gunmen with her. In the Scottish YouTuber's vlog, Jyoti Malhotra was spotted in the bazaar and was accompanied by at least six armed men with AK-47 rifles. Jyoti Malhotra was arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan earlier this month. She is among the 12 people arrested from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on charges of espionage. In the video, the Indian YouTuber was seen being accompanied by a group of six to seven men, all armed with AK-47 rifles. The men in the video are suspected to be Pakistani security personnel. Dressed in semi-formal attire and jackets which read "no fear", the men surround Jyoti Malhotra as she roams around Lahore's Anarkali bazaar. The new visuals have sparked outrage in India with many questioning the need for high security with the YouTuber. The video from the Scottish YouTuber, who was also left baffled at the site, has raised more questions and suspicions regarding Malhotra's visit to Pakistan. "Callum, you will be surprised to know that this girl is now under arrest in India because she has been caught spying for Pakistan and passing sensitive information to their security agency ISI. She is being interrogated. That will now explain why she was surrounded by security guards and was being treated as a VIP in Pakistan," read a recent comment under the Scottish YouTuber's video. 'No YouTuber walks in Pakistan streets with 6 men armed with AK-47 rifles,' stated one such user on X. Jyoti Malhotra, who has been accused of spying, was present at several high-profile events, where she was spotted with several Pakistani security and intelligence officials. As per the initial investigation against her, police stated that the YouTuber stayed in touch with Pakistani officials even after her return to India. Investigations have further revealed that Malhotra, who ran the channel 'Travel with Jo' worked in collusion with a staff at the Pakistani High Commission - Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish. Furthermore, officials also added that the Indian YouTuber was being developed as a Pakistani asset.
India Today
22-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
'Spy' YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's police custody extended by four days
Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested along with six other persons for allegedly spying for Pakistan, will remain in police custody for at least four more days. During the questioning, Jyoti confessed to meeting Pakistani agents, sources per Hisar Police sources, the remand was sought to facilitate forensic analysis and cross-examination of digital evidence that's awaited. Additionally, to investigate and question other individuals whose names have surfaced during the preliminary inquiry. Hisar Police had requested no media and others to be allowed inside court Malhotra, who ran the YouTube channel "Travel with Jo", visited Pakistan in 2023 after acquiring a visa through commission agents. During her trip, she developed close ties with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staff member at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Danish was an agent of Islamabad's notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), sources said. He was expelled by India earlier this month amid tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 people said Danish's passport was issued from Islamabad, and he was granted a visa for India on January 21, 2022. According to documents, exclusively accessed by India Today, Danish was born in Narowal in Pakistan's Punjab confessed to having links with Pakistani intelligence agents and said that she was in regular contact with Danish, a Pakistani High Commission official in New Delhi, sources said. According to information exclusively accessed by India Today from interrogation records, Jyoti said she first came in contact with Danish, alias Ehsar Dar, in 2023 when she visited the High Commission for a visa to travel to who runs the YouTube channel called 'Travel with Jo', has around 4 lakh subscribers on the platform."In 2023, I visited the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi to enquire about a visa to travel to Pakistan," Jyoti said during questioning, according to 33-year-old said during her visit to Pakistan, she met Danish's contact Ali Hassan, who arranged her stay and said Jyoti also disclosed that Ali Hassan introduced her to two individuals believed to be Pakistani intelligence officials - Shakir and Rana Shahbaz.
NDTV
21-05-2025
- NDTV
"Get Me Married In Pak": 'Spy' YouTuber's WhatsApp Chat With ISI Handler
New Delhi: A purported conversation between travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra and a Pakistani intelligence officer has surfaced, highlighting the former's link with Islamabad, as the police in India continue to probe the YouTuber for allegedly spying for the neighbouring country. Malhotra, who lived in Haryana's Hisar and ran a YouTube channel called 'Travel with Jo', was arrested last week. Sources suggest she was in constant touch with Ali Hasan, who worked for the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), the spy agency of Pakistan that acts as a fulcrum in their military-terror nexus. The two used to talk a lot, they said. Officials have now found a WhatsApp conversation between the 33-year-old YouTuber and Hasan. One of the chats showed Malhotra telling Hasan, "Get me married in Pakistan", which hinted at her emotional connection with Islamabad. Reports suggest that the WhatsApp chats also revealed several coded conversations between the two, specifically those related to undercover operations of India. During the investigation, the police have found information about four bank accounts belonging to Malhotra, said police sources. Transactions from Dubai were also found in one of the accounts. The agencies are now going through all of her bank accounts to find out where she was receiving money. Malhotra, who has over a lakh followers on Instagram, had visited Pakistan twice, during which he had come into contact with Rahim, an official at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Rahim had later introduced her to the Pakistani intelligence operatives. Back in India, she had remained in touch with her Pakistani handlers and allegedly shared sensitive information on the Indian Army's movement with them. Her father had initially claimed that she had made the trip to shoot videos in Pakistan. Changing his version recently, he said she had informed him of going to Delhi, and not Pakistan. Malhotra is among the dozen-odd individuals who have been arrested in the past week for alleged espionage amid heightened surveillance in the wake of fresh India-Pakistan tensions. Others include a student, a security guard, and a businessman. These suspects were arrested from across Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.
