YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, known for her travel channel ‘Travel with Jo’, was arrested on May 16 under serious espionage charges after allegedly maintaining close ties with Pakistani intelligence operatives. As investigations unfold, her handwritten diary has come into focus, offering a glimpse into her travels to Pakistan and interactions during the controversial trip. The 33-year-old, with over 3.77 lakh YouTube subscribers, is being questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), and her foreign visits and digital communications are now under intense scrutiny.
Diary entries reveal affection for Pakistan visit
In one of the entries found by Haryana Police, Jyoti Malhotra described her 10-day trip to Pakistan with warmth and nostalgia. She wrote about receiving “a lot of love” from Pakistani citizens, meeting subscribers and friends, and feeling that two days in Lahore were “not enough.” Describing Pakistan as “crazy” and “colourful,” she wrote that her experiences couldn’t be fully captured in words.
Another entry quoted her appeal to Pakistani authorities: “Protect the temples there and let Indians meet their families from whom they were separated in 1947.” These entries, while emotionally charged, have become critical in the investigation that questions the real intent behind her travels.
Ties with Pakistani High Commission official and secret communications
According to the FIR filed against Jyoti Malhotra, she was in frequent contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Their interactions, which reportedly took place between November 2023 and March 2025, included in-person meetings and encrypted conversations over WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. Danish, who has now been declared persona non grata by the Indian government, allegedly worked to develop Jyoti Malhotra as an “asset” and introduced her to other Pakistani officials, including Ali Ahwan, Shakir, and Rana Shahbaz.
To mask her communication with these operatives, Jyoti Malhotra reportedly saved one of their contacts under the alias “Jatt Randhawa.” Her travel history, financial transactions, and multiple bank accounts are currently being analysed, as investigators suspect she may have received funding from foreign sources that do not match her known income as a content creator.
The Hisar police revealed that Jyoti Malhotra’s links stretch beyond her personal involvement, possibly tying into a wider espionage network across Haryana and Punjab. At least 11 others have been arrested in recent weeks in connection with this network, including another YouTuber named Guzala from Punjab.
