YouTuber ‘Travel with Jo’ arrested for spying, linked to Pakistan

In a significant development amid escalating tensions, Haryana Police have arrested Jyoti Malhotra, a Hisar-based travel blogger, for allegedly passing sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence operatives. Malhotra, who ran the YouTube channel Travel with Jo, was taken into custody following a detailed investigation revealing her connections with Pakistan's spy network active in Haryana and Punjab.

Authorities confirmed that Malhotra visited Pakistan twice in 2023, where she came into contact with individuals linked to Pakistani security and intelligence. She first met Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, during a visit there. Danish, who was recently expelled from India on May 13, allegedly introduced her to multiple Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), including Ali Ehwan, Shakir, and Rana Shahbaz.

According to the FIR filed at the Hisar Civil Lines police station, Malhotra maintained continued contact with these individuals through encrypted messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. She had saved Shakir's contact under a misleading name — ‘Jatt Randhawa’ — to avoid raising suspicion.

Police said she shared classified details about Indian locations and was used as a social media tool to project Pakistan positively. Investigators also revealed that she developed an intimate relationship with one of the PIOs and even travelled to Bali, Indonesia, with him.

Malhotra has been booked under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. She is currently under five-day police remand, with officials continuing to question her to uncover the full extent of the espionage network.

This arrest marks the third such case in Haryana this week, highlighting increased vigilance and counter-intelligence operations following the recent ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan.