Credit: TOI
NEW DELHI: YouTuberJyoti Malhotra, arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan, is at the centre of a growing national security probe — one that now includes scrutiny of handwritten notes from a personal diary recovered during searches by Haryana Police.Also read: ‘If my daughter has friends in Pakistan, can’t she call them?’: Father of alleged ‘spy’ YouTuber Jyoti MalhotraThe 33-year-old, known for her cross-border travel videos, had described a visit to Pakistan in pages recovered from her diary.
Diary Page: 1 (Credit: TOI)
“This journey from Pakistan was full of love. We got a lot of love from the subscribers and the field.”
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“To reach Lahore, got 20 rupees for the rickshaw fare.On the Wagah border, I was emotional.The fences of the border seemed weak.On the restlessness —The people who meet despite borders are those whose hearts beat in sync.This soil belongs to both.This is a request to the Pakistani Government: allow Indians to visit freely.We must come again via Lahore-Wagah road.”Another entry, reads:
Diary Page Entry 2 (Credit: TOI)
Malhotra, arrested on 17 May, had saved the phone numbers of her handlers under misleading aliases—one of them being “Jatt Randhawa”—in an attempt to evade detection. Police say this was not merely a precaution, but part of a consistent pattern that suggests her deepening involvement with Pakistan’s intelligence network.Investigators allege her digital footprint points to a methodically groomed individual who transitioned from a travel vlogger to someone allegedly sharing sensitive information. The 34-year-old, a graduate from Hisar and daughter of a retired Haryana power department official, is said to have maintained regular contact with at least three Pakistani operatives.Her first alleged link was with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish—a Pakistani High Commission official based in Delhi—whom she reportedly met during an event in 2023. Danish is believed to have arranged her Pakistani visa, accommodation in Lahore, and introduced her to others, including one Shakir and a man named Rana Shahbaz.Also read: Long before Jyoti Malhotra Pakistan had honey-trapped Madhuri GuptaPolice say a Pakistani official, expelled from India on 13 May for espionage, had an intimate relationship with Malhotra. The two are believed to have travelled to Bali together.Malhotra’s communications with her handlers, investigators claim, were carried out via encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram and Snapchat. Officials say she used pseudonyms such as “Jatt Randhawa” to obscure the nature of her contacts, a strategy they say was designed to avoid detection by Indian authorities or acquaintances.She is said to have admitted to passing along sensitive details—mostly related to Indian locations and key events—in violation of the Official Secrets Act. Her arrest took place days after a visit to Delhi on 6 May, during which she allegedly met Danish again. Notably, the meeting occurred one day before Operation Sindoor, a national security drill held across northern India.Investigators say her communication with Pakistani handlers during such a sensitive period intensified suspicions. She is among four people arrested in recent espionage-related cases in Haryana.The others arrested include Nauman Elahi, a Panipat-based security guard; Devender Singh Dhillon from Kaithal; and Arman, a youth from Rajaka village in Nuh. Arman allegedly obtained Indian SIM cards using his own identity and handed them over to Pakistani operatives. He also reportedly attended a defence expo and shared restricted material, posing as a jobseeker in Delhi.Malhotra’s social media activity has come under scrutiny. Her YouTube channel, Travel with Joe, and Instagram account—where she has 3.2 lakh and over 13 lakh followers respectively—feature numerous travel videos, including from Pakistan. Her second pinned Instagram post refers to Lahore as “the cultural heart of Pakistan”.Officials allege that these platforms were used not only for content creation but also to subtly promote pro-Pakistan narratives.“This is modern-day warfare,” said Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Sawan.Adding to investigators’ concerns is Malhotra’s claim of visiting Pakistan in 2023 as part of a “delegation.” During her second visit, on Danish’s recommendation, she reportedly met another operative, Ali Ahsan, who is said to have formally linked her to the country’s intelligence apparatus.Authorities are currently analysing her digital devices and financial records to determine whether her international travel was funded through covert means.
