'Her Trips Defy Sources Of Income': Cop On 'Spy' YouTuber Who Visited Pak

New Delhi:

The case of social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra, who has been arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan, is a big example of how modern warfare does not necessarily mean fighting at the border, a senior police officer in Haryana’s Hisar told reporters.

The role of social media influencers who can hide in plain sight has come under scrutiny now.

It also defies explanation how Ms Malhotra’s travel costs can be covered by her income, the police officer said.

While nearly all Indians who travel to Pakistan are monitored at the police level and can visit only those places mentioned in the visa, Ms Malhotra allegedly received VIP treatment due to her links with Pakistan High Commission officer Danish and other intelligence operatives. She allegedly got security from the police during her tour of Pakistan.

Ms Malhotra’s YouTube channel ‘TravelwithJo’ has 3.82 lakh subscribers; her Instagram profile and Facebook Page with the same name have 1.39 lakh and 3.2 lakh subscribers, respectively. She also runs the website travelwithjo.in where she talks about her trips.

“Modern warfare is not only fought at the border. We have information that PIOs are trying to recruit social media influencers to use them for pushing their [Pakistan’s] narrative,” Hisar Superintendent of Police (SP) Shashank Kumar told reporters today.

PIO is short for Pakistani intelligence operatives.

Mr Kumar said they arrested Ms Malhotra based on inputs from central agencies about her activities, including keeping in touch with Pakistani intelligence operatives.

“We received inputs from the central agencies, and we arrested Jyoti Malhotra. She visited Pakistan multiple times and China once. She was in contact with the PIOs. We have taken her on a five-day police remand. We are analysing her financial details and transactions, and who all she met. During the conflict, she was in touch with the PIOs… Her travel details defy her total known source of income,” Mr Kumar told reporters, referring to the conflict that broke out after Pakistan-linked terrorists killed 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and the subsequent Indian response in the form of precision missile strikes on terror infrastructure.

Mr Kumar said while Ms Malhotra was in touch with the PIOs, the social media influencer did not have direct access to any important defence information.

“We will do a forensic analysis of her electronic equipment like laptop and mobile once we seize them. Multiple teams are analysing everything,” the SP said.

#WATCH | Jyoti, a resident of Haryana’s Hisar, has been arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information and being in continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen.

SP Hisar Shashank Kumar Sawan says, “Modern warfare is not only fought on the border. The PIOs are trying to… pic.twitter.com/fFKP6KBSKK

— ANI (@ANI) May 18, 2025

She reportedly came on the radar of security agencies when she went to China immediately after returning from Pakistan in 2024. She toured Pakistan for 12 days in April 2024. After this, she went to China in June. There, she moved around in luxury cars and visited jewellery shops in many places. This made security agencies in India suspicious about her motive and expenditure, after which they began surveillance on her.

Ms Malhotra allegedly collected intelligence about Indian locations and gave it to her Pakistani handlers under the pretext of making YouTube videos.

She attended an Iftar party at the Pakistani High Commission on March 23 and uploaded photos on social media.

At the party, she met and spoke with the Pakistani officer, Danish, who introduced his wife to the social media influencer. Ms Malhotra also met some Chinese officials at the Iftar party. Her social media posts heaped praises on the arrangements made at the Pakistani High Commission.

The social media influencer’s father Harish Malhotra alleged she was being framed.

“She told me that she has not done anything wrong. She was again called for interrogation on Friday morning. Then, on Friday night itself, the police brought her back home. After confiscating all the belongings related to her, the police returned to the police station with Jyoti. Then it was known that Jyoti had been arrested,” he told news agency IANS.

Probe Against Another Social Media Influencer 

The Odisha Police have also started an investigation into alleged links between a Puri-based YouTuber and Ms Malhotra, news agency PTI reported on Sunday.

The woman in Puri travelled to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan recently, Puri SP Vinit Agrawal said.

“We found that Jyoti Malhotra visited Puri last year, and we are verifying the fact. Anything more can be shared after the verification,” Mr Agrawal said.

On whether the woman from Puri shared intelligence inputs with Ms Malhotra, Mr Agrawal said, “The Haryana Police are investigating the matter and we are providing them the required assistance.”

The police are “examining the objective” of Ms Malhotra’s visit to Puri, and trying to find out “where she stayed, whom she contacted and any possible suspicious activities”, the Puri SP said.

The Odisha Police did not disclose the identity of the Puri YouTuber.