The Haryana Police on Saturday arrested Haryana-based travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra for allegedly spying for Pakistani intelligence agencies during Operation Sindoor. Jyoti, known for her YouTube channel ‘Travel with Jo’ with over 3.77 lakh subscribers and an Instagram following of more than 1.32 lakh, was detained from the New Aggarwal Extension area in Hisar.
According to police officials, Jyoti was found to be in direct contact with officials from the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi and was sharing “sensitive information” with them. She has been booked under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act and Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for acts endangering India’s sovereignty and integrity.
Jyoti had posted content from her recent trips to Pakistan on social media in March and April, which authorities believe was part of a broader effort to portray a positive image of the country under guidance from Pakistani handlers.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that Jyoti first approached the Pakistan High Commission in 2023 to apply for a visitor visa. During this process, she allegedly established contact with an official named Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, whose phone number she later shared with investigators. She subsequently traveled to Pakistan twice, where she was introduced to Pakistani intelligence operatives Shakir and Rana Shahbaz by a local contact named Ali Ahwan, Indian Express reported.
“She saved Shakir’s contact under the alias ‘Jatt Randhawa’ to evade suspicion,” said a police official. “She remained in contact with all three men via social media, sharing sensitive information and visiting key installations in India,” the official added.
The Indian government declared Danish persona non grata on May 13 and ordered his immediate expulsion from the country. This arrest comes just days after another individual, 24-year-old Nauman Elahi from Uttar Pradesh, was arrested in Panipat for allegedly leaking sensitive information to Pakistani agents. Elahi worked as a security guard in a blanket factory and reportedly used digital platforms to pass information to foreign handlers.
Besides Jyoti, the espionage probe has uncovered several more accused, including Guzala, a 32-year-old widow from Punjab’s Malerkotla who visited the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi on February 27, to seek a visa. Among others arrested are Yameen Mohd, also from Malerkotla, involved in financial and visa dealings with Danish; Devinder Singh Dhillon, a Sikh student from Kaithal, Haryana, who shared videos of Patiala cantonment; and Arman from Nuh, Haryana, accused of supplying Indian SIM cards, transferring funds and visiting Defence Expo 2025 on instructions from Pakistani intelligence operatives.