'Journey full of love': What 'spy' Jyoti Malhotra wrote in her personal diary about 10-day Pakistan trip

Travel vlogger and YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra has been arrested on serious charges of espionage, allegedly for passing sensitive information to Pakistan. What began as cross-border travel vlogging has now spiraled into a full-blown national security probe, with the 33-year-old Haryana native accused of being intricately involved into Pakistan’s intelligence web.

Malhotra—who rose to fame through her YouTube channel “Travel with Joe”—is currently under intense scrutiny as two pages of her personal diary have emerged, giving a glimpse of her 10 days in Pakistan. The diary was recovered by the Haryana Police.

"Today, I have returned to my country, India, after a 10-day trip from Pakistan. 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 visit Lahore were not enough," read the handwritten undated entry.

One of her entries had a request to the Pakistani authorities, "Protect the temples there and let Indians meet their families from whom they were separated in 1947".

“To reach Lahore, got 20 rupees for the rickshaw fare. On the Wagah border, I was emotional. This is a request to the Pakistani Government: allow Indians to visit freely. We must come again via Lahore-Wagah road.” she wrote.

Jyoti Malhotra arrested on espionage charges

Arrested on April 17, Jyoti Malhotra is believed to have used deceptive aliases such as “Jatt Randhawa” to mask the true identities of her handlers stored in her phone. Investigators say this wasn’t a casual precaution, but rather a consistent and calculated pattern.

Authorities claim Malhotra was systematically groomed, with her digital trail revealing frequent, encrypted communication over WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat with at least three Pakistani agents. A graduate from Hisar and daughter of a retired Haryana power department official, Malhotra reportedly maintained regular contact with operatives across the border.

Her first alleged link to Pakistan’s spy network came through Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani High Commission official based in Delhi, whom she reportedly met in 2023 during a formal event. Police say Danish orchestrated her visit to Lahore—managing her visa, accommodation, and connecting her with further contacts including Shakir and Rana Shahbaz.

Malhotra is also believed to have had an intimate relationship with a Pakistani official who was later expelled from India on May 13 for espionage. The duo allegedly vacationed in Bali together, raising deeper suspicions of her personal entanglement with the espionage ring.

Her confessions, officials say, include admissions of leaking sensitive data—mostly involving strategic Indian locations and significant national events—thus violating the Official Secrets Act. What has amplified the alarm is her suspected meeting with Danish on May 6 in Delhi, just a day before Operation Sindoor.

“This is modern-day warfare,” remarked Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Sawan, underscoring the gravity of the charges.

Malhotra is among four individuals arrested in recent weeks as part of a wider espionage crackdown in Haryana. Others include Nauman Elahi, a security guard from Panipat; Devender Singh Dhillon from Kaithal; and Arman, a youth from Nuh’s Rajaka village. Arman reportedly procured Indian SIM cards using his own identity and handed them over to Pakistani handlers. He also allegedly infiltrated a defence expo, masquerading as a jobseeker, to gather restricted information.

Malhotra's online presence

Investigators are also probing Malhotra’s highly visible online presence. Her Instagram account—followed by over 13 lakh users—and her YouTube channel with 3.2 lakh subscribers feature travel vlogs from various countries, including Pakistan. A pinned Instagram post even hails Lahore as “the cultural heart of Pakistan,” a detail that has drawn sharp attention from authorities.

Officials allege that beyond showcasing her journeys, her content subtly propagated pro-Pakistan narratives, serving as a soft-power tool in an ongoing psychological campaign.

Malhotra’s second visit to Pakistan—allegedly under the guise of being part of a “delegation”—was, according to investigators, facilitated by Danish. It was during this visit that she reportedly met Ali Ahsan, who is said to have formally inducted her into Pakistan’s espionage infrastructure.

Authorities are now combing through her financial transactions and digital devices to determine whether her international escapades were funded through covert intelligence operations.