'Visited Pak more than 4 times': YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra had intimate relationship with Pakistani intelligence officer

CHANDIGARH: Vlogger Jyoti Malhotra from Hisar had an intimate relationship with a Pakistani intelligence operative and even travelled to Bali with him. Jyoti, 34, was arrested by the Haryana Police’s anti-espionage wing on Saturday and remanded in five-day police custody by a local court. This marks the third arrest in an espionage-related case in Haryana this week. A graduate and daughter of a retired Haryana power discom official, Jyoti ran a travel YouTube channel called "Travel with Joe" with over 3.2 lakh subscribers and had a large following on Instagram (13.4 lakh), Facebook, and Snapchat. Police allege she used her social media platforms not only to share travel content but also to promote pro-Pakistan narratives at the behest of her handlers. DSP Kamaljit Singh, who is supervising the investigation, said a case under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act and Section 153 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against her at Civil Lines police station in Hisar. Investigators say Jyoti was in contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives through encrypted messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. She saved her contacts under false identities—referring to one of her handlers, Shakir, as "Jatt Randhawa." According to police, she first came in contact with a Pakistani official identified as Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish during a visit to the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023. He reportedly helped her extend her Pakistani visa, arranged a homestay, and introduced her to multiple intelligence operatives including Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. “She has confessed to sharing sensitive information related to Indian locations and to visiting Pakistan more than four times, including twice in 2023,” said DSP Singh. “She also travelled with one of the operatives to Bali and had an intimate relationship with him.” Her digital devices, including her mobile phone and laptop, have been sent for forensic examination, and her financial transactions are under scrutiny to trace any possible money trail. Police say although Jyoti’s family is based in Hisar, she primarily lived in New Delhi. Her arrest comes just days after Punjab Police arrested two individuals from Malerkotla, including a woman, for alleged spying activities linked to the same Pakistani network. One of the key figures, Danish, was expelled from India by the Ministry of External Affairs on May 13 for espionage.