Early Times Report
Jammu, May 20: Arrested popular travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, known for her YouTube channel "Travel with JO," is reportedly making some startling revelations during questioning.
She was arrested in Haryana on charges of espionage for allegedly working with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The 33-year-old influencer, boasting over 3.87 lakh YouTube subscribers and 1.3 lakh Instagram followers, is accused of sharing sensitive information with ISI operatives and planning a suspicious trip to Bangladesh amid strained India-Bangladesh relations.
According to central intelligence sources, Malhotra applied for a Bangladesh visa recently, allegedly on the instructions of her ISI mentors. The timing of her planned visit has raised alarms, as it coincides with deteriorating diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Dhaka.
Authorities suspect the trip was part of a broader ISI strategy to exploit regional tensions and expand Malhotra’s espionage network.
Further investigations have revealed that Malhotra’s activities extended beyond Pakistan. In 2024, she visited China on what sources describe as a “special assignment” linked to her ISI handlers. While details of this mission remain under wraps, her frequent international travels to countries like Nepal, Dubai, Thailand, Indonesia, and Bhutan have come under scrutiny, with her lavish lifestyle The timing of her planned visit has raised alarms, as it coincides with deteriorating diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Dhaka.
The trip was part of a broader ISI strategy to exploit regional tensions and expand Malhotra’s espionage network.
Her activities extended beyond Pakistan. In 2024, she visited China on a “special assignment” linked to her ISI handlers.
Her frequent international travels and her lavish lifestyle has raised questions about possible foreign funding.
Malhotra’s arrest follows a joint operation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Haryana Police, which uncovered her alleged ties to ISI operatives. She reportedly met a Pakistani officer, Ehsan-ur-Rahim (alias Danish), at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023 while securing a visa. Multiple visits to Pakistan between 2020 and 2024, including one in April 2023 for the Baisakhi festival, allegedly involved meetings with Pakistani intelligence personnel.
A diary seized from her Hisar residence, containing 11 pages of notes about her Pakistan trips, along with encrypted communications on WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat, has further implicated her.
Authorities allege that Malhotra used her travel vlogging platform as a cover for espionage, sharing videos of sensitive locations, including areas near military zones and strategic routes like National Highway 44. Her content is suspected of promoting pro-Pakistan narratives to influence Indian audiences.
During interrogation, Malhotra has remained defiant, claiming her actions were an exercise of free speech. However, investigators assert she was a key player in an ISI-backed network, part of a larger crackdown that led to 14 arrests across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh following the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack. |
