In a world where celebrity is just a click away, the distinction between influencer and operator has become indistinguishable. Hisar’s travel YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who has more than 3.85 lakh subscribers, is the newest testament to how soft targets among influencers are being recruited into high-stakes espionage. Her arrest on suspicion of spying for Pakistan has stunned the world of digital content creators and unveiled a new battlefield of contemporary warfare.
Following the recent Pahalgam terror attack and India’s strong military response through Operation Sindoor, Jyoti’s connections came under the radar. Investigators believe her communications and visits to Pakistan were more than innocent travel expeditions.
A Race for Relevance Turns Risky
In the post-pandemic era, the influencer space has expanded, inundating social media with creators seeking relevance. With this abundance, pressure on innovation and grabbing eyeballs is high. Jyoti Malhotra, who was 33, established herself as a “Nomadic Leo Girl” on her YouTube channel ‘Travel With Jo’. Her neat travel vlogs spoke of world travels and suggested a lifestyle that transcended her seeming ability.
Yet, as Hisar SP Shashank Kumar Sawan pointed out, this quest for online fame has turned into a weakness. “Surely, they were building her as an asset,” he said, pointing to Pakistani intelligence operatives who befriended Jyoti with the demand of diplomacy and friendship.
#WATCH | Hisar | “They were developing her (Jyoti Malhotra) as an asset. She was in touch with other YouTube influencers, and they were also in touch with the PIOs… She used to go to Pakistan, like on sponsored trips… She was in Pakistan before the Pahalgam attack, and the… pic.twitter.com/OD2wD1vzic
— ANI (@ANI) May 18, 2025
Jyoti Malhotra: Infiltration Through Influence
Jyoti’s frequent interaction with Pakistani officers — including Danish at the Pakistan High Commission — raised suspicions. When the four-day military standoff prompted by the Pahalgam massacre took place, Jyoti Malhotra was in continuous communication with her handlers.
“Her contact was with other YouTube influencers. They also had contact with PIOs (public information officers),” SP Sawan said, describing how social media content creators are being targeted in psychological warfare. “This is also (a type of) warfare, where they attempt to thrust their narrative by enlisting influencers.”
Meetings, Money, and Misplaced Trust
Her questioning showed how she was made familiar with important Pakistani personalities on her repeated visits. “Ali Ahwan arranged a meeting with Pakistani security and intelligence officials in Pakistan, and I met Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. I got the number of Shakir’s mobile phone and stored it in my phone as ‘Jat Randhawa’ so that nobody would suspect anything,” police quoted Jyoti.
Officials commented that her lifestyle drastically contrasted with her known earnings — business-class trips, five-star hotels, lavish shopping excursions. She supposedly was given “sponsored” treatment in Pakistan and then went to China in comparable luxury. Police are investigating the money trail on those trips.
Web of Suspicion Widens
Importantly, her arrest was after the Indian government expelled Danish, the Pakistani official, on May 13. Two days later, Jyoti was arrested. “We will subject her laptop and other electronic devices to forensic analysis. Then it will be known what information she had shared,” stated SP Sawan.
Even her travelogues — especially one to Kashmir before the Pahalgam terror attack — are being scrutinized to find potential connections.
Police also believe Jyoti is not alone among influencers who have been compromised. In Odisha’s Puri, another YouTuber, Priyanka Senapati, landed in the radar after interacting with Jyoti. “Jyoti was just my friend. I had absolutely no knowledge of the serious allegations against her,” Priyanka reacted in reply.
Puri SP Vinit Agrawal stated that investigations are underway. “We are in contact with central and state agencies and will extend whatever cooperation is required,” he said.
Father of Jyoti Malhotra Defense and a Nation’s Concern
Jyoti’s father, Haris Malhotra, insists her trips were for content creation. “She used to visit Pakistan and other places to shoot videos for YouTube,” he told ANI. But when asked about her ties with Pakistani officials, he defended her right to friendships: “If she has some friends there, can’t she call them?”
Yet Indian authorities are not so sure. Jyoti stands accused under the Official Secrets Act and specific provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and is still in jail as police investigate deeper into her operations.
