YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's arrest: From sharing ‘sensitive’ info to contacting Pakistani officer | All you need to know

Youtuber Jyoti Malhotra was arrested on Friday, May 16, over allegations of sharing sensitive information with Pakistan. The 33-year-old resident of Hisar, who runs a YouTube channel called ‘Travel with JO’ with over 3.87 lakh subscribers, was arrested from the New Aggarsain Extension area and has been charged under provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

From accusations against her to the court order, here's all we know about the case.

12 arrested on espionage charges

Jyoti Malhotra is among the 12 individuals arrested in the last two weeks from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh over espionage charges on allegations of a suspected Pakistan-linked spy network operating in northern India following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Police remand for four days

On Thursday, May 22, 2025, the Hisar District Court sent Jyoti Malhotra to police remand for four days, reported ANI.

No evidence on links to terrorist activity, say police

The police mentioned that no evidence has been found of Jyoti Malhotra's connection to terrorist activity or associations. “So far, we have not found any evidence of her involvement in any terror activity or her alignment with any terrorist group. We have not found any document which depicts that she wants to marry any PIOs or wants to change religion,” Hindustan Times quoted the Hisar SP as saying.

Additionally, the police stated that there is currently no evidence suggesting Jyoti Malhotra had access to any military or defence-related information, PTI reported.

Contact with a Pakistani officer

On Wednesday, the police revealed that Jyoti Malhotra has been in contact with a Pakistani named Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, who was placed at the Pakistani High Commission since November 2023, PTI reported.

He allegedly helped her in getting an extension for her Pakistani visa, arranged accommodation, and facilitated introductions to several intelligence operatives, including individuals identified as Shakir and Rana Shahbaz.

Visited Pakistan to shoot videos, claims Jyoti Malhotra's father

According to Jyoti Malhotra's father, Haris Malhotra, the YouTuber visited Pakistan to shoot videos.

"She used to visit Pakistan and other places to shoot videos for YouTube," Haris Malhotra told ANI.

"If she has some friends there, can't she call them? I have no demands, but give us our phones. A case has been registered against us," he further claimed.

Interrogation by probe agencies

The YouTuber has been interrogated by the National Investigation Agency, the Intelligence Bureau and military intelligence officials. Additionally, the police have seized her three mobile phones and a laptop for forensic analysis.