Indian police have arrested Jyoti Malhotra, a popular YouTuber and travel influencer from Haryana, on allegations of spying for Pakistan and maintaining suspicious links with Pakistani intelligence operatives.
The arrest, confirmed by Haryana Police, comes amid heightened military tensions between India and Pakistan earlier this month.
Authorities say Malhotra had traveled to Pakistan several times—her most recent visit being in March 2025—and was allegedly in contact with Ahsan-ur-Rahim, a Pakistan High Commission official who was expelled from India on 13 May over espionage concerns.
Speaking to the press, Shashank Kumar Sawan, Superintendent of Police in Hisar, claimed Malhotra had been in continuous communication with Pakistani operatives, frequently traveled to Pakistan on sponsored trips, and was possibly part of a wider network.
She is also under investigation for potential links to the Pahalgam attack, which left several tourists dead in Indian-administered Kashmir earlier this month.
Malhotra’s father has denied all accusations, insisting that his daughter traveled to Pakistan only after obtaining proper visas and permissions.
“She is not a spy. She is a travel vlogger who documented her experiences,”;; he said.
On her social media accounts, Malhotra describes herself as a “modern girl with old ideas.”;; She boasts 377,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 133,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares travel content from India and abroad, including visits to Bangladesh, China, Thailand, UAE, and Indonesia.
However, police have raised questions about how she financed these international trips, suggesting her lifestyle doesn’t align with her known sources of income.
Authorities say Malhotra first met Ahsan-ur-Rahim in 2023, when she visited the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi to apply for a visa.
Her last video featuring Pakistan was uploaded in March, showing her attending a Ramadan dinner at the High Commission.
Other videos show her visiting Hindu and Sikh temples, shopping in local markets, and interacting with residents in Pakistan.
Her arrest follows a diplomatic row between India and Pakistan, during which both countries expelled each other’s embassy staff over accusations of espionage and improper conduct.
Arrests on spying charges are not uncommon between the two rival nations.
Earlier this month, on 7 May, India carried out airstrikes on what it described as “terror infrastructure”;; inside Pakistan, in response to the Pahalgam attack.
Pakistan denied any involvement, and after several days of border skirmishes, a ceasefire was brokered by the U.S. President Donald Trump on 10 May.
