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.
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”.
Pakistan also asked an Indian embassy staff member in Islamabad to leave for indulging in activities “incompatible” with his privileged status.
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.
Her last video on Pakistan was uploaded in March, in which she was seen in the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi attending a Ramadan dinner.
In other videos from Pakistan, she is seen visiting Hindu and Sikh temples, famous local markets, and interacting with locals.
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.
