A new video featuring Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who has been arrested for spying for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, has gone viral on social media. The video shows her with a man who was seen taking a box of cake inside the Pakistan Embassy following the dastardly terror attack in the Valley on April 22, which killed 26 people. 

The now-viral clip is from her YouTube channel ‘Travel with Jo’, where she can be seen interacting with the same man who carried a box of cake inside the Pakistani High Commission in India.

“Don’t make a video,” the man tells Malhotra, to which she assures him that she won’t record him. As the video continues, the man expresses a desire to take a picture with her. The cameraperson standing nearby then takes their photo, as Malhotra jokingly remarks that the man “brings his own cameraperson”.

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The travel vlogger not only visited Pakistan several times but also partied with officials at the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi, which she documented on her social media handles.

Many social media quickly pointed out the man’s identity, and one user even shared the side profile of the man from the party. 

“Do you remember this video?” the social media user asked while sharing visuals, before adding, “When an employee of the Pakistan High Commission brought a cake the next day of the Pahalgam attack. This is the same person who was seen with Pak spy Jyoti Malhotra.”

Jyoti Malhotra espionage case

Authorities allege Malhotra was in contact with Pakistani intelligence officers (PIOs) during Operation Sindoor, launched by the Indian armed forces following the Pahalgam terror attack against Pakistan. They believe she was being “developed as an asset” by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies to gather and transmit information.

Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan stated that although the 33-year-old  did not have direct access to sensitive military information, she maintained regular contact with Pakistani intelligence operatives and other YouTube influencers similarly targeted for influence operations and narrative shaping.

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Malhotra, as per police, had travelled to Pakistan several times on sponsored visits. She had also been to China once. Notably, she visited Kashmir shortly before the Pahalgam terror attack. Authorities are now examining whether her travel coincided with intelligence-gathering efforts.

The FIR lodged against her states that she first came in contact with a Pakistani national, Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, at the Pakistani High Commission in 2023 while applying for a visa. Danish then allegedly introduced her to his associate, Ali Ahwan, who facilitated her accommodation and meetings with Pakistani intelligence officials during her trips.

She reportedly used WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat to communicate and share sensitive data. Police are now conducting forensic analysis of her electronic devices and financial transactions. “We are also tracking down other Indian contacts and influencers linked to her,” SP Sawan added.