19 May 2025, 14:42
The YouTuber was allegedly in touch with a Pakistan High Commission official in India.
Picture:
Facebook
Police in India have arrested a YouTuber for allegedly ‘spying’ for Pakistan.
Police in India have arrested a local YouTuber on suspicion of spying for Pakistan.
Jyoti Malhotra, a travel influencer from the northern Indian state of Haryana, allegedly travelled to neighbouring country several times – her last trip was in March 2025.
Police in Haryana claim that she was in touch with a Pakistan High Commission official, who was expelled from India earlier this month.
The YouTuber’s father has denied allegations that she was a spy, saying she went to Pakistan after acquiring necessary permissions.
Ms Malhotra is a travel influencer from the northern Indian state of Haryana.
Picture:
Hindustan Times
Ms Malhotra has amassed 133,000 followers on Instagram, and describes herself as a “modern girl with old ideas” on social media.
On YouTube, she has 377,000 subscribers. Officers have questioned how she funded her travels, with her videos documenting her visits to places like Bangladesh, China, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.
She has also visited several Indian destinations and religious places. Police say it defies her known source of income.
Police claim Ms Malhotra was in touch with “Pakistani intelligence operatives” and had continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen.
Ms Malhotra has 377,000 subscribers on YouTube.
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YouTube
A superintendent of police in Haryana’s Hisar district has told ANI news agency the police have leads on others who may have collaborated with the influencer, who does not have direct access to any military or defence information.
“She was in touch with other YouTube influencers… She used to go to Pakistan on sponsored trips,” Mr Sawan added.
Her arrest comes after the Indian government asked Ahsan-ur-Rahim, the Pakistan High Commission official with whom the YouTuber was alleged to have been in contact, to leave the country on 13 May, alleging he had indulged in activities “not in keeping with his official status in India”.
According to a complaint registered by the police, Ms Malhotra met Ahsan-ur-Rahim for the first time in 2023 when she had visited the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, seeking a visa to visit the neighbouring country.
Pakistani people celebrate after the ceasefire between Pakistan and India, in Multan, Pakistan on May 10, 2025. Credit: Mansoor/Xinhua/Alamy Live News.
Picture:
Alamy
Arrests in India and Pakistan over allegations of spying are not uncommon.
Ms Malhotra’s arrest comes following days of military tensions between the neighbours earlier this month.
On 7 May, India struck what it calls “terror infrastructure” inside Pakistan, days after a deadly militant attack on tourists in Pahalgam, a picturesque valley in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attacks.
After four tense days of deadly clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbours, both countries agreed to a ceasefire on 10 May, announced by US President Donald Trump.