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Jyoti Malhotra in Kerala. (Screengrab)
Jyoti Malhotra, a 33-year-old travel vlogger from Sirsa in Haryana arrested on espionage charges, was among the social media influencers hosted by the Kerala government as part of a promotional tourism campaign, official documents have revealed.
Malhotra was one of 41 influencers whose visits to Kerala were fully funded by the state’s tourism department between January 2024 and May 2025, according to a Right to Information (RTI) response cited by news agency ANI.
The initiative was part of an influencer outreach programme aimed at marketing Kerala as a global digital travel destination.
The Kerala government sponsored their travel, stay, and meals, and engaged a private agency to support their video production during the visits.
Kerala Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammad Riyas defended the state’s decision to include her in the campaign. “We had no clue about any such connections when she was invited. It has all come out only now,” he said to India Today.
Riyas dismissed allegations of complicity, stating, “Do you think the ministers or the government in Kerala would arrange everything for her to carry out espionage? This was a standard practice the tourism department has followed for years.”
He also emphasised the procedural nature of the collaboration. “It’s a serious issue and everyone should exercise more caution. Please check the procedure,” the minister said, underscoring that neither the ministers nor the government are directly involved in vetting the influencers.
Malhotra visited Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Alappuzha, and Munnar during her Kerala trip.
The government not only covered her expenses but also paid her an honorarium for her content creation efforts. She shot vlogs on cultural events such as Theyyam performances and posted scenic visuals of Kerala on her YouTube channel Travel with Jo.
Opposition parties, including the Congress and the BJP, have slammed Kerala’s Left Front government for failing to properly vet influencers invited for such campaigns.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla posted on X: “RTI reveals Pakistani spy Jyoti Malhotra visited Kerala on Left government invite & was state guest in a sense courtesy Tourism Dept. So Bharat Mata is blocked and Pak Spies are given RED CARPET by Left? Tourism Minister Mohammad Riyas is son-in-law of Vijayan. He should be sacked… and investigated.”
Malhotra, who was taken into custody on May 16 from the New Aggarsain Extension area in Hisar, Haryana, is currently under judicial custody, which has been extended multiple times — most recently on June 23.
Her next hearing is scheduled for July 7. She has been booked under the Official Secrets Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Malhotra reportedly travelled to Pakistan multiple times and developed connections with Pakistani intelligence officials.
A video circulating on social media shows her shopping in Lahore, surrounded by men armed with AK-47 rifles — indicative, investigators say, of the kind of access she had in the country.
Authorities claim Malhotra had been in contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a staff member of the Pakistan High Commission, since November 2023. India expelled Danish on May 13 because of a suspected role in espionage activities.
Police sources further allege that Pakistani intelligence agencies were grooming Malhotra as an asset.
Malhotra also had travelled to Bengal at least twice in the last one year and had collaborated with several of Calcutta’s content creators.
Her blog reportedly features footage from sensitive regions, including Barrackpore, Siliguri, and other areas with key military and air force installations. She also documented railway junctions such as Sealdah, Howrah, and Dum Dum stations, along with the international border at Gede in Nadia.
Her journeys across north Bengal, Nadia, and the strategically sensitive Chicken’s Neck region have been under scrutiny.
