New Delhi: What began as wanderlust-fueled travel content has now spiraled into one of India’s most talked about “espionage” revelations in recent times. Jyoti Malhotra, a 33-year-old YouTuber from Hisar in Haryana – popularly known online as ‘Travel with JO’ – has landed in police custody under serious charges of spying for Pakistan.

Once admired for her immersive travel content and laid-back storytelling style, she now faces accusations of being groomed as a long-term Pakistani intelligence asset. Investigators allege she was part of a “covert network” of social media influencers being used to “manipulate public opinion” and quietly serve the agenda of India’s arch-rival.

A ‘Secret’ Mission?

With over 380,000 subscribers and videos from destinations across India and abroad, Malhotra maintained a vibrant digital persona. But behind the camera, authorities claim, was a troubling link to dubious people in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi, specifically officials now expelled from India on espionage charges.

She reportedly maintained contact with these individuals during the high-voltage military standoff in early May, triggered by the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 innocent civilians. As India launched a retaliatory strike under ‘Operation Sindoor’, intelligence agencies picked up suspicious cross-border communication involving Malhotra.

An Unsettling Pattern

Malhotra’s frequent overseas travel raised red flags, especially her visits to Pakistan and China. According to investigators, her 2023 visa process put her in direct contact with high-level Pakistani operatives. What began as a visit arranged under the guise of “cultural exchange” allegedly evolved into something more sinister.

Sources say accommodations were set up for her by intermediaries with intelligence links, including a handler named Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, who was posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and recently declared persona non-grata.

Her plans to travel to Kashmir soon before the Pahalgam attack only added to growing suspicions.

During the four-day military standoff that followed the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians dead, she allegedly maintained contact with the Pakistani diplomat, now at the center of an espionage storm.

Weaponising Influence?

This is not a spy thriller from the Cold War era. Authorities believe Malhotra’s value was not in stealing files or military secrets, it was her platform. In an age where perception shapes policy, narrative warfare is the new battleground. Influencers like Malhotra were allegedly being cultivated as pawns.

“She had influence, reach and access to other influencers. That makes her a potential amplifier for propaganda, whether knowingly or not,” said a senior police officer.

The police said she had contacts with other influencers who may also have been exploited by Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) to cleverly push anti-India narratives.

“This is also (a kind of) warfare, in which they try to push their narrative by recruiting influencers, he said,” Hisar SP Sawan said on Sunday.

He said the PIOs were attempting to develop her as a “long-term asset”. While she had no direct access to military intelligence, he said, her connections with other influencers made her a potential tool for narrative warfare.

“They were developing her as an asset. She was in touch with other YouTube influencers. They were also in touch with PIOs,” he said.

The Digital Trail

Currently held under the Official Secrets Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Malhotra is undergoing intense interrogation. Her phone, laptop and travel documents are being examined by forensic experts.

Financial transactions, particularly those linked to foreign sources, are under the scanner.

Investigators are also re-examining online posts by concerned citizens. A year before her arrest, an X user named Kapil Jain had publicly flagged her suspicious movements, including a visit to the Pakistani embassy and a sudden trip to Kashmir.

@NIA_India please keep close watch on this lady..she first visited and attained pakistani embassy function then visited pakistan for 10 days now she is heading for kashmir… may be some link behind all these pic.twitter.com/kfrXZNhMuE
— kapil Jain (@chupchaplo) May 10, 2024

The Domino Effect

Malhotra’s arrest has triggered a broader intelligence crackdown. In Punjab, two persons were recently detained in Malerkotla in connection with the same espionage ring. And now, the Odisha Police is probing a potential link between Malhotra and Puri-based YouTuber Priyanka Senapati.

What started as a travel story has taken a dark turn. In the age of smartphones and social networks, the frontline of national security may no longer be the border, it may be the feed.