By Soumya Ranjan Jyoti Malhotra, whose YouTube channel, “Travel with Jo,” has over 377K subscribers, visited Pakistan in 2023 after obtaining a visa through commission agents.
According to India Today on Saturday, six Indian nationals, including travel blogger Jyoti Malhotra from Haryana, were arrested by Indian authorities days after Operation Sindoor for allegedly giving Pakistani agents sensitive information.
The report claims that these important players had networks in Punjab and Haryana and served as informants, agents, and financial intermediaries.
Authorities disclosed that the accused Jyoti, who operated the “Travel with Jo” YouTube channel, had obtained a visa through commission agents and traveled to Pakistan in 2023. During her visit, she even became close to Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, who works at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
The Indian authorities believe that Jyoti was introduced to several Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) by Danish, who was expelled on May 13, 2025, after being declared persona non grata by the government.
The officials claimed that Jyoti used encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat to stay in contact with agents, including Shakir alias Rana Shahbaz, whose number she saved as “Jatt Randhawa.”
Additionally, according to officials, Jyoti allegedly disclosed private information about locations in India. She even made a concerted effort to present a favorable picture of Pakistan on social media.
Among other things, Jyoti traveled to Bali, Indonesia with a PIO and developed a close relationship with him.
“Yesterday, based on inputs that we had, we arrested Jyoti, daughter of Haris Kumar, under the Official Secret Act and BNS 152,” DSP Kamaljeet told the media, as reported by ANI. After we were able to recover her laptop and cell phone, we received some suspicious items. We have placed her under 5-day remand while we conduct additional investigation. She maintained constant communication with a citizen of Pakistan.
Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, are the charges against her. In addition, she provided a written confession, and the case was turned over to the Economic Offenses Wing of Hisar.
Other suspects detained: On February 27, 2025, a 32-year-old widow from Malerkotla, Guzala, Punjab, went to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to apply for a visa.
After winning Guzala’s trust by promising marriage and establishing a romantic relationship through video calls and chats, Danish used to communicate with her on Telegram.
According to the India Today report, Danish citizens began sending ₹10,000 to Guzala on March 7 through the PhonePe payment app and ₹20,000 on March 23 through Google Pay. He later gave her instructions to divide ₹10,000 among the following recipients: ₹1,800, ₹899, ₹699, and ₹3,000.
On April 23, Guzala went back to the Pakistan High Commission with her friend Banu Nasreena, another widow from Malerkotla. Danish helped them again, and the following day they received their visa.
Devinder Singh Dhillon from Kaithal, Haryana, who sent videos of the Patiala cantonment; Arman from Nuh, Haryana, who provided Indian SIM cards and attended the Defence Expo 2025 on orders from PIOs; and Yameen Mohd from Malerkotla, a financial dealer with Danish, are the fourth individual detained by the authorities.
The case is a part of a larger espionage operation that targets people through financial gifts, emotional ties, and false marriage promises, according to India Today, which quoted the officials. Investigations are still in progress.
with assistance from the agency.
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