Haryana based travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, has been arrested on Saturday for allegedly spying for Pakistan and sharing secret and sensitive information with Pakistani agents. Also known as Jyoti Rani, she ran a YouTube channel titled 'Travel with Jo' has over three lakh subscribers and 132 thousand followers on Instagram. Recently, she shared glimpses of her visit to Pakistan earlier this year.
33-year-old Jyoti has been arrested from Haryana's Hisar for allegedly sharing sensitive information with Pakistani agents, she is among six other people who were arrested on espionage charges.
Jyoti describes herself as "Nomadic Leo Girl. Wanderer Haryanvi + Punjabi modern girl with old ideas" in her YouTube and Instagram bio.
Following her confession, she was remanded to police custody for five days, with the Economic Offences Wing now handling the case.
According to the FIR lodged by sub-inspector Sanjay at Hisar Civil Lines Police Station, Malhotra first made contact with a man named Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staff member at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, during a 2023 visit. Danish reportedly became her handler, introducing her to other Pakistani intelligence operatives and maintaining contact through encrypted platforms. Notably, the was expelled on May 13, 2025.
Reportedly, authorities have claimed that Malhotra visited Pakistan twice in 2023, where she met individuals identified as Ali Ehwan, Shakir, and Rana Shahbaz. To avoid detection, she saved their contact details under misleading names such as “Jatt Randhawa”. She also reportedly travelled to Bali, Indonesia, accompanied by one of the operatives, indicating a deeper involvement beyond online communication.
A video of her speaking to Punjab (Pakistan) Chief Minister and former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz at a Gurudwara is also making rounds on the internet.
Malhotra is accused of using her YouTube channel to portray a positive image of Pakistan, allegedly contributing to a coordinated propaganda effort. Notably, Jyoti had also visited Kashmir last year.
