A photo manipulated digitally depicting Congress MP Rahul Gandhi smiling with YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra—apprehended recently for allegedly being a Pakistani spy has generated outrage on the Internet. The image, which has spread extensively across X (formerly Twitter), has followed it with a chain of attacks and conspiracy theories.

One of the users of X posted, “Jyoti Malhotra from Haryana, who was caught spying for Pakistan, is with Rahul Gandhi. What an odd coincidence that all the traitors and anti-nationals are spotted with Rahul Gandhi! Is Rahul Gandhi the mastermind behind the unrest unfolding in the country?”

Truth Behind the Viral Image

But a simple reverse image search puts things to rest. The viral image that purports to have Malhotra standing next to Rahul Gandhi is, in fact, a morphed photo of an old picture that was clicked way back in 2017. The genuine photo features former Congress leader Aditi Singh alongside Rahul Gandhi, which she took while she was with the party.

As a matter of fact, the background, the saree, and even the environment are the same in the authentic picture of Aditi Singh. She had shared the photo on social media in 2017. Media channels also released the identical picture in 2018—years before Jyoti Malhotra even started her YouTube journey.

Fact-checking organizations have declared the viral photo as ‘morphed’, establishing that it is an edited image.

Who Is Aditi Singh?

Aditi Singh, who was a leading Congress MLA from Rae Bareli, defected to the BJP in 2021. She is now the MLA from Rae Bareli Sadar on the BJP ticket.

Who Is Jyoti Malhotra?

YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, with almost 3.9 lakh subscribers, was recently arrested on charges of leaking sensitive information to a Pakistani official. Investigators say she was in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish—a dismissed Pakistani High Commission employee since November 2023.

She was being groomed as an intelligence asset for Pakistan, the authorities asserted. Malhotra has been to Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and other foreign countries, which has caused more suspicion. She has already been questioned by several agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and military intelligence.

Her arrest is a part of a broad crackdown with 12 people being held in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in the past few weeks on charges of espionage activities.