Jyoti Malhotra, who has been arrested on allegations of espionage for Pakistan is being taken to Varanasi (Kashi), the city of Lord Shiva, by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for interrogation. According to the authorities, every time the YouTuber went to Pakistan, she would consistently visit Varanasi either shortly before or after her visit. This unusual recurrence has now become a major mystery for the investigative agencies, leading the NIA to the sacred place to solve the troubling puzzle.
As a travel vlogger, Jyoti had the opportunity to explore any region of the country, however, her frequent trips to Varanasi raise several questions. Did she create videos of specific, curated locations in Varanasi at someone’s behest and upload them to her YouTube channel “Travel with Jo”? Is it possible that these videos contain a concealed message or sensitive information communicated through coded language? The NIA will now seek answers to numerous such questions in Kashi.
Jyoti Malhotra traveled to Pakistan four times since 2022, reported Dainik Bhaskar. Interestingly, she visited Varanasi each time either before or after her trips. Moreover, she shared videos of these trips on her YouTube channel. Her initial visit to Pakistan’s Kartarpur Corridor was in September 2022. Upon her return, she traveled to Varanasi in October of that year, where she filmed in various locations of the city and uploaded them to her channel.
The YouTuber went to Pakistan once more in April of the following year and returned to Varanasi, a few months later in July. On 9th December of the same year, she made another visit to the holy city by bus. Notably, on 19th December 2023, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Varanasi to inaugurate the Vande Bharat train, she was aboard the same train. She was going from Varanasi to Delhi and recorded a video of the pilot cabin as well as captured close-up images.
She was also in Varanasi during January and February 2025 and explored multiple locations. She went to Kashmir and then moved to Pakistan from there, in March. She also posted a video documenting the same on her YouTube channel.
Who is Jyoti Malhotra
Jyoti Malhotra is a YouTuber and travel vlogger from Hisar of Haryana. Her YouTube channel “Travel with Jo” and Instagram account “@travelwithjoone” are quite popular. She has more than 3.77 lakh subscribers on YouTube and 1.31 lakh followers on Instagram. She has been arrested on charges of working for Pakistan’ ISI. She sent classified information regarding India’s military to Islamabad.
The investigation has uncovered that she maintained communication with Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and even met with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi who was subsequently expelled from India. Jyoti Malhotra has visited Pakistan multiple times and recorded her trips through videos.
She is also accused of sharing sensitive information under the guise of comparing India and Pakistan in her videos and reels. The authorities have seized over 12 terabytes of digital forensic data from her electronic devices and accounts, which includes evidence of links to the Islamic Republic. She has been charged under the Official Secrets Act and pertinent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
