YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra Arrested for Espionage: Visited both china and Pakistan after Pahalgam attack

  Pratiksha Ghosh 

Punjab,May 19, 2025:Indian travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, known online as "Travel with JO," has been arrested under the Official Secrets Act for alleged espionage activities. Authorities report that Malhotra visited Pakistan shortly before the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists .

Investigations have uncovered that , a 33-year-old resident of Hisar, Haryana, traveled to Pakistan in 2023, where she reportedly met with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, an official at the Pakistan High Commission. Subsequent interactions with Pakistani intelligence operatives are under scrutiny, with allegations that she leaked sensitive information regarding Indian Army movements in Haryana and Punjab .

Further probing has revealed that Malhotra also visited China prior to the Pahalgam incident. Her behavior during this trip attracted widespread criticism; videos surfaced showing her engaging in disrespectful acts such as forcibly taking a seat on a bullet train, commandeering a stranger's scooter, and mocking locals for not speaking English .

Malhotra's father has defended her, stating that her international travels were solely for content creation and not for any illicit activities. He questioned the rationale behind the allegations, emphasising that having friends in Pakistan should not be deemed suspicious .

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the case, examining Malhotra's digital devices and communications to ascertain the extent of her alleged involvement in espionage activities. The arrest has sent ripples through the Indian influencer community, prompting increased scrutiny of content creators with international connections .

As the investigation unfolds, authorities are working to determine any direct links between jyoti’s travels and the orchestration of the Pahalgam attack. The incident has reignited concerns over national security and the potential misuse of social media platforms for espionage purposes.