Popular YouTuber arrested under suspicion of 'spying' for government agency
YouTube can be a sometimes dark place, with numerous videos about conspiracy theories, death hoaxes, and brutal murders.
YouTubers themselves can become the focus of these fascinating stories, thanks mainly to their actions behind the scenes.
Whether it be YouTubers who were shot while livestreaming, those who've been arrested for pranks, or the tragic case of Natalie McNally's murder, a shocking number of content creators become the subject of videos instead of creating them.
One person who found this out the hard way is Jyoti Malhotra, an Indian travel vlogger who amassed an impressive 400,000 subscribers on her "Travel with JO" YouTube channel.
Advert
Since posting her first video set against a snowy backdrop in India's Manali back in August 2019, Malhotra has taken us around the globe, showing us Bhutan's Penis Temple, riding on China's bullet train, and buying iPhones in Dubai. Unfortunately for Malhotra, her channel has been dark since May 11, 2025. This is because she was arrested by Haryana Police in May 2025 and held under the Official Secrets Act and Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for suspected espionage.
After making several trips from India to Pakistan, authorities in the northern Indian state of Haryana claim that Malhotra had been in contact with a Pakistan High Commission official who'd been expelled from India earlier that month.
Officers apparently question how Malhotra has financed her travels, with the BBC reporting how police say it "defies her known source of income."
Malhotra's father denied the claims, although she was investigated over potential links to the 2025 Pahalagam terror attack, where 26 civilians were killed.
Shashank Kumar Sawan, the superintendent of police in Haryana's Hisar district, said there were leads on others who might've worked with Malhotra, adding: "She was in touch with other YouTube influencers... She used to go to Pakistan on sponsored trips.”
Malhotra was accused of making contact with Ahsan-ur-Rahim, a Pakistan High Commission official who was thrown out of India on May 13 under suspicion of activities "not in keeping with his official status in India."
Her custody has been extended numerous times as forensic experts continue to examine her electronic devices and financial records. The most recent development has Malhotra's father write to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, and state governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh, urging them to drop the Official Secrets Act against his daughter.
A video from Firstpost explains how Malhotra was accused of being 'groomed' as an asset. Her arrest came alongside at least 11 others around the same time, with Indian authorities attempting to expose a supposed digital spy ring. Another is said to have developed an app so he could keep in touch with handlers at Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.
Malhotra apparently first met with Ahsan-ur-Rahim in 2023, with him reportedly recruiting social media influencers like Malhotra and Jasbir Singh of the similar “JaanMahal Video” channel to the ISI.
As for Malhotra, allegations claim she leaked non-military (but sensitive information) in the midst of May 2025's India–Pakistan conflict that followed the Pahalagam attack.
There are comparisons made between Malhotra's case and that of former Indian diplomat Madhuri Gupta, who was sentenced to three years in jail due to spying for Pakistan.