Jyoti Malhotra, the journey YouTuber who has been arrested for spying for Pakistan, attended an Iftar dinner on the Pakistan Excessive Fee in New Delhi final yr and posted a video during which she is seen gushing concerning the preparations, repeatedly expressing an curiosity in visiting the nation and asking nearly everybody she meets to assist her get a visa.
Video Proof Exposes YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra’s Ties to Expelled Pakistani Official
By Nationwide Safety Correspondent
Could 17, 2025
New Delhi – A video posted by Haryana-based journey vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, identified for her YouTube channel Journey With Jo, has ignited a firestorm after her arrest on costs of espionage for Pakistan. The footage, recorded at an Iftar dinner hosted by the Pakistan Excessive Fee in New Delhi in March 2024, exhibits Malhotra interacting warmly with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a Pakistani official just lately declared persona non grata and expelled from India on Could 13, 2025, for alleged spying actions. The video, mixed together with her subsequent journeys to Pakistan, has raised severe considerations about her function in sharing delicate info with Pakistani intelligence operatives.
The Iftar Dinner Video: A Public Show of Connections
Within the video, posted on March 30, 2024, Malhotra, a 33-year-old with 377,000 YouTube subscribers and 132,000 Instagram followers, is seen getting into the Pakistan Excessive Fee, describing the decorations as “excellent” and expressing pleasure concerning the occasion. She greets Ehsan-ur-Rahim warmly, asking about his well-being and expressing delight on the invitation. The interactions counsel familiarity, with Malhotra additionally assembly Rahim’s spouse and exchanging pleasantries. Rahim introduces her to different officers, noting her Journey With Jo YouTube channel, whereas Malhotra repeatedly expresses her want to go to Pakistan, asking for help with visa preparations.
Malhotra’s enthusiasm is clear as she praises the Iftar preparations, saying, “I’m mesmerized. I’ve no phrases. I’m excited, tremendous duper excited. Bhaisahab, primary to hil gayi (I’m so impressed).” She discusses Pakistan Day (March 23) with Rahim and lauds the hospitality, stating, “That is how Pakistanis are.” The video, initially offered as a cultural vlog, has taken on a darker significance following her arrest, with authorities alleging it was a part of a broader effort to challenge a constructive picture of Pakistan whereas masking espionage actions.
Arrest and Allegations: A Spy Community Uncovered
Malhotra was arrested on Could 17, 2025, by Hisar Police in Haryana, together with 5 others, for allegedly sharing delicate details about Indian navy places with Pakistani intelligence operatives. Charged below Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Official Secrets and techniques Act, 1923, and Part 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), she was remanded to 5 days of police custody for additional interrogation. The case has been transferred to the Financial Offences Wing in Hisar, with a written confession obtained from Malhotra.
In line with the First Data Report (FIR) filed by Sub-Inspector Sanjay at Hisar Civil Traces Police Station, Malhotra first visited the Pakistan Excessive Fee in 2023 to use for a visa, the place she met Rahim, a suspected intelligence officer. She visited Pakistan twice in 2023, facilitated by Rahim, who launched her to operatives together with Ali Ehwan, Shakir, and Rana Shahbaz. Malhotra allegedly saved Shakir’s contact as “Jatt Randhawa” to keep away from suspicion and maintained communication by way of encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. She confessed to sharing “anti-national” info, together with particulars about Indian Military actions, and was tasked with selling pro-Pakistan narratives on social media.
Investigators additionally uncovered an intimate relationship between Malhotra and a Pakistani intelligence operative, with whom she traveled to Bali, Indonesia. Her frequent conferences with Rahim in Delhi and her 4 documented visits to Pakistan had already positioned her below scrutiny by Indian safety businesses.
Context of Espionage: A Broader Community
The arrests are half of a bigger crackdown on an espionage community spanning Haryana and Punjab, with operatives appearing as brokers, informants, and monetary conduits. One other key accused, Guzala, a 32-year-old widow from Malerkotla, Punjab, was additionally linked to Rahim. She met him on the Pakistan Excessive Fee on February 27, 2025, whereas making use of for a visa. Rahim allegedly constructed belief by way of a romantic relationship, promising marriage, and despatched her cash by way of PhonePe and Google Pay, instructing her to redistribute funds to particular accounts.
Rahim’s expulsion adopted India’s Operation Sindoor, a response to a terror assault in Pahalgam, claimed by the Kashmir Resistance group, which India hyperlinks to Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba. The operation focused terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, escalating diplomatic tensions. Rahim’s function within the espionage community, together with his interactions with Malhotra and others, prompted his designation as persona non grata.
Public and Official Reactions
The video and Malhotra’s arrest have sparked outrage on X, with customers accusing her of betraying nationwide safety below the guise of journey vlogging. One publish referred to as her actions a “breach of belief,” alleging she misled her viewers by presenting her Pakistan journeys as cultural explorations. Others demanded stricter vetting of people receiving Pakistani visas, with one consumer stating, “Anybody who received Pak Visa since 2014 must b investigated.”
Hisar Deputy SP Kamaljeet Singh confirmed Malhotra’s ongoing communication with Pakistani intelligence, noting that her social media exercise was used to amplify pro-Pakistan sentiment. The Ministry of Exterior Affairs has not commented on the video particularly however reiterated its stance towards espionage, pointing to Rahim’s expulsion as proof of decisive motion.
Implications for Nationwide Safety
Malhotra’s case highlights the vulnerabilities of social media influencers as potential vectors for overseas intelligence operations. Her Journey With Jo channel, with its sizable following, offered a platform to subtly form public perceptions whereas allegedly facilitating espionage. Cybersecurity specialists warn that encrypted platforms and the attract of worldwide journey may be exploited to recruit unwitting or complicit people. The incident has prompted requires stricter monitoring of influencer interactions with overseas entities, significantly in delicate diplomatic contexts.
As investigations proceed, Malhotra’s video serves as a stark reminder of the blurred strains between cultural trade and covert operations. The case underscores the necessity for vigilance in an period the place digital platforms can amplify each affect and threat.
For updates on this case, go to HindustanTimes.com or observe @ANI on X.
