Jyoti Malhotra, the alleged Pakistani spy, remains in police custody, where investigators have reportedly uncovered key details about her involvement in espionage. Despite coming from a modest middle-class background, Malhotra’s lifestyle raised red flags. She owns a house built on 55 square yards in Haryana’s Hisar. She led a life that far exceeded her known means. With no regular job or visible source of income, her posh lifestyle was difficult for police and investigation teams to ignore.
She frequently travelled in business class to expensive international destinations, stayed at five-star hotels, and indulged in lavish meals-including breakfast, lunch, high tea, dinner, and snacks-from top-rated, high-end restaurants. She used to earn through YouTube and Instagram, and it is also said that some of the brands used to sponsor her gadgets for her travel. It is now been said that she, with her Pakistani High Commission official Ehsan-ur-Rahim, met even a day before India’s Operation Sindoor. She has reportedly admitted to sharing sensitive information about certain locations in India with a Pakistani agent.
How did the investigating officer uncover her links to officials from the Pakistan High Commission and other agents? It all began with a single photo on her Instagram that caught the team’s attention, accompanied by the caption, “Billo Teri Aankh Qatal.” This seemingly casual post turned out to be a crucial clue in exposing her network.
“Billo Teri Aankh Qatal”
Whether it was India’s enemy country Pakistan or China which is friendly with the same Pakistan, Jyoti easily got visas of both the countries without any hassle. Police state that Jyoti Malhotra was in contact with at least three Pakistani operatives. Her first known connection was with Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, an officer at the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi. The two reportedly met at an event in 2023. Danish not only helped facilitate Jyoti’s Pakistani visa but also arranged her stay in Lahore. He later introduced her to other handlers, identified as Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. Notably, this is the same Danish who was expelled from India on May 13 in connection with an espionage case.
According to police sources, Jyoti communicated with her handlers using encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. She often used aliases such as ‘Jatt Randhawa’ to conceal her identity and avoid detection. During interrogation, Jyoti reportedly admitted to sharing sensitive information related to key locations and events in India with her Pakistani contacts. She also accompanied a Pakistani official on a trip to Bali.
Police sources say that Jyoti used to talk to her Pakistani handlers through encrypted apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and Snapchat. She deliberately used fake names like ‘Jatt Randhawa’ so that her conversation remained hidden. Later Jyoti admitted that she had shared sensitive information related to some important places and events of India with her Pakistani handlers. Jyoti also went to Bali with a Pakistani officer. On 30 April 2025, Jyoti uploaded a picture of herself from Bali on Instagram. The caption read- Randhawa ji said– “billo teri aankh qatal”.
Trip To Bali With Danish
After returning from her trip on May 6, Jyoti Malhotra came back to Delhi and was arrested a few days later. Reports suggest that she met Danish during this trip as well. Significantly, this meeting reportedly took place just a day before the launch of Operation Sindoor. Currently, Jyoti is in five-day police custody, where she is being interrogated by both central and state intelligence agencies.
According to investigators, another individual named Ali Ahsan played a key role in introducing Jyoti to Pakistani intelligence operatives. Jyoti Malhotra’s social media presence- particularly her YouTube channel Travel with Joe and her Instagram account- offers a curated view of her travels, including multiple visits to Pakistan. Her YouTube channel has 3.2 lakh subscribers, while her Instagram boasts over 13 lakh followers. However, police allege that these platforms were not merely used for travel content but also served to subtly promote pro-Pakistan narratives.
Following Jyoti’s arrest, her followers on Instagram grew by more than 7,000 followers and over a lakh people searched for her on Google within 24 hours of her arrest. Her YouTube channel, “Travel with JO” had 3.77 lakh subscribers before. Two days after the arrest of Haryana-based travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, her Instagram account has now been blocked.
