New Delhi — Jyoti Malhotra, the 33-year-old wanderlust influencer behind the popular YouTube channel “Travel With Jo,” has been arrested on charges of passing sensitive Indian military movements to Pakistani handlers, police revealed Saturday, reported the NDTV.
Investigators allege the Haryana-based biker-vlogger, who styles herself online as a “Nomadic Leo Girl,” crossed into Pakistan twice in the past two years. During her first 2023 trip—arranged through commission agents—Malhotra reportedly befriended Ehsan-ur-Rahim, an official at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, who later connected her with intelligence operatives.
According to authorities, Malhotra remained in contact with these handlers after returning home, sharing location data on Army deployments in Haryana and Punjab. She is also accused of cultivating an “intimate relationship” with one operative and traveling with him to Bali, Indonesia.
Her social-media feed shows reels from Lahore’s Anarkali Bazaar, the Katas Raj Temple pilgrimage route, and Kashmir’s Dal Lake—all now under scrutiny for possible reconnaissance content. Police say her globe-trotting lifestyle—stretching from Bhutan to China—“defied declared sources of income,” hinting at covert funding.
The arrest comes on the heels of Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory strike for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. Pakistan High Commission staffer Rahim was expelled on May 13 after being declared persona non grata.
Malhotra is one of six people booked under the Official Secrets Act. If convicted, she could face up to 14 years in prison.
