Police in India have arrested a local YouTuber on suspicions of spying for Pakistan.
Jyoti Malhotra, a travel influencer from the northern Indian state of Haryana, allegedly travelled to the neighbouring country several times – her last trip was in March 2025.
Police in Haryana allege 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 describes herself on social media as a “modern girl with old ideas”, and has 377,000 subscribers on YouTube and 133,000 followers on Instagram.
But officers have questioned how she financed her travel around the globe, with her videos documenting 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 is also being investigated for any links with the Pahalgam attack, Shashank Kumar Sawan, the superintendent of police in Haryana’s Hisar district, told ANI news agency.
They say they 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.
Credit: bbc.com
