YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who is reportedly under investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for her alleged links with three Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), has said she has no regrets about leaking sensitive information during Operation Sindoor, following the Pahalgam terror attack. The Haryana-based ‘spy’ YouTuber was arrested under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act and Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). She is believed to have spent 10 days in Pakistan, including two days in Lahore. In an undated diary entry, Malhotra wrote about her visit to the neighbouring country and her meetings with “friends” and “family”.
The diary, reportedly around 10-11 pages long, includes eight pages of general travel notes in English and three pages in Hindi that focus on Pakistan.
‘Pakistan is crazy and colourful’
One of the diary entries reads, “Pakistan se 10 din ka ye safar tay karke aaj aa gai hun wapas apne ghar, apne watan – India/Bharat. Is dauran Pakistan ki awam se kaafi mohammat mili. Hamare subscribers, friends bhi hamse milne aae. Lahore ghoome ke lie mila 2 din ka waqt kaafi kam tha.” [After completing this 10-day journey in Pakistan, I have now returned home — to my country, India. During this time, I received a lot of love from the people of Pakistan. Our subscribers and friends also came to meet us. The two days we got to explore Lahore felt too short.]
The diary entry looks more like a script for one of her YouTube videos, as it begins with the word “starting”, apparently the opening lines of a vlog.
She goes on to reflect that though borders divide India and Pakistan, the people on both sides belong to the same land and soil: “Sarhadon ki duriyan pata nahi kab tak barkaraar rahengi, par dilon me jo gile shikwe hain, wo dur ho jaein. Ham sab ek hi dharti, ek hi mitti ke hain.” [Who knows how long these distances created by borders will remain, but the emotional grievances in our hearts should be resolved. We are all from the same land, the same soil.]
She even makes a request to Pakistani authorities: “Request hai ki Pakistan government Indians ke lie aur bhi gurudware aur mandiron ke lie raaste khole, sahuliyat paida karein ki hindu aur bhi wahan visit kar paein. Wahan ke temples ko bhi protect karein. Aur apni families se, jinse 1947 ke samay bichag gae the, unse mil paein.” [I request the Government of Pakistan to open more routes to gurudwaras and temples for Indian visitors. Please provide more facilities so that Hindus can visit them. The temples there should be protected, and people should be able to meet their families from whom they were separated during Partition in 1947.]
The two-page diary entry ended with the words praising Pakistan: “Pakistan ke baare me jitna kaho utna kam hai. Crazy and colourful.” [No matter how much one says about Pakistan, it’s never enough. Crazy and colourful.]
‘Love you’ note for house help
The 33-year-old YouTuber, who ran the channel ‘Travel with Jo’, was arrested on May 16 in Hisar. A picture of a handwritten note by Malhotra for her father has also gone viral online. “Savita se kehna fruits la dein. Ghar ka khayal rakhein. Main jaldi aa jaungi,” she wrote in a “love you” note addressed to her house help, signing it as “Khush Mush”. [Tell Savita to bring some fruits. Take care of the house. I’ll be back soon.]
The note also mentioned two medicines, apparently for her family members.
Jyoti Malhotra espionage case
YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra is among 12 people arrested from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh over the past two weeks on charges of espionage, in what authorities are calling a form of “modern warfare”. Investigators claim that Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) “recruited several social media influencers” to gather and leak sensitive information. Officials also pointed to a suspected Pakistan-linked spy network operating in northern India.
Malhotra, who had travelled to Kashmir just days before the Pahalgam terror attack, is currently under intense scrutiny. Investigative agencies are now probing her financial transactions and international travel history, noting that her declared sources of income do not appear sufficient to justify the multiple foreign trips she made, including to Pakistan and China.
Her laptop is undergoing forensic analysis as authorities are looking to uncover any wider network of collaborators and understand the scope of her operations.
One of the most critical leads in the case is Malhotra’s connection to Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani official who was posted at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.
According to police, Malhotra first came into contact with him in 2023, when she visited the High Commission to apply for a visa. This meeting reportedly led to further interactions with Pakistani intelligence handlers. In a significant diplomatic move, Rahim was expelled from India on May 13 for “engaging in activities incompatible with his privileged status”.
Malhotra was also seen with a man who carried a box of cake inside the Pakistan embassy after the April 22 attack on Valley, which claimed the lives of 26 people.