‘Travel with Jo’ YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra charge-sheeted for allegedly spying for Pakistan

Jyoti Malhotra, the YouTuber from Hisar, has been named in a charge sheet by Haryana Police. Malhotra, a 33-year-old YouTuber, was arrested in May for allegedly spying for Pakistan. Haryana Police filed the charge sheet after completing its investigation into the alleged espionage case involving suspected links to Pakistani intelligence agencies, officials said Saturday (Aug 16). The court has fixed the next hearing for August 18. Malhotra, who runs the travel vlog channel 'Travel with Jo' with over 480 videos, including from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand, was arrested in May this year after central agencies flagged her alleged contacts with Pakistani officials.

Jyoti Malhotra to be taken to protection remand?

Investigations revealed she had travelled to Pakistan multiple times and was in touch with personnel from the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, including an official later expelled by India. According to officials, she allegedly met a Pakistani officer, Ahsan-ur-Rahim, in Delhi and shared sensitive information.

Her lawyer, Advocate Kumar Mukesh, confirmed that the chargesheet has been filed and said they will review whether it contains evidence before moving a bail application. "The investigation against Jyoti has been completed, and a chargesheet has been filed in court. Now, the court has scheduled the next appearance for 18 August. Possibly, Jyoti will be taken to protection remand, and as per the rule process, the chargesheet copy will be provided to Jyoti..." he told ANI.

"We will review the chargesheet to determine if it contains any evidence, and based on that, we will prepare for the date application. As of now, the police do not disclose any information regarding her connection with ISI..." he added.

Ahsan-ur-Rahim: Jyoti Malhotra's handler?

Malhotra was one of the 12 people arrested across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in a coordinated crackdown on a suspected spy ring that sought to recruit Indian social media influencers.

During the investigation, Malhotra, as per reports, revealed that in 2023, she visited the Delhi High Commission, where she met a man named Ahsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish. The exact nature of communication between Malhotra and Ahsan-ur-Rahim is yet to be released. Hisar SP Shashank Kumar Sawan earlier said Malhotra had visited Pakistan multiple times and China once, and her travel records were inconsistent with her income. "Modern warfare is not only fought on the border. The PIOs are trying to recruit some social media influencers, and they use that to push their narrative. We received inputs from the central agencies, and we arrested Jyoti Malhotra," he said at the time.