YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra Visited Pakistan Before Pahalgam Attack; Also Traveled to China

Pahalgam Attack: Pakistani intelligence operatives were developing Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on espionage charges, as an asset, a senior Haryana police officer claimed on Sunday.

She was allegedly in touch with a Pakistani officer posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi during the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan that followed the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, the officer said.

He revealed that Malhotra had visited Pakistan several times, including a trip before the Pahalgam terror attack, and had also travelled to China.

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“She is being interrogated by the Haryana Police, in coordination with central agencies. We are analysing her financial transactions and travel history to determine the sources of her income,” said SP Sawan. “Her known income sources do not justify her foreign travel. We suspect external funding. On the surface, she was just a travel blogger,” he added.

“She had interacted with several high-profile individuals during her visits to Pakistan. Even though her arrest happened recently, intelligence agencies were already monitoring her activities closely,” said SP Sawan.

“As part of the probe, we are collecting concrete evidence to file a strong chargesheet and ensure the highest punishment. Intelligence agencies remain in continuous coordination with district police units,” Kapur said.

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The FIR, filed at Hisar Civil Lines police station, states that Malhotra met Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish at the Pakistan High Commission in 2023 while seeking a visa.

“She saved Shakir’s contact as ‘Jatt Randhawa’ to avoid suspicion,” the FIR notes. After returning to India, Malhotra allegedly continued communication with the operatives via encrypted apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat.

On May 13, the Indian government declared Danish a “persona non grata” for engaging in activities inconsistent with his diplomatic status and ordered him to leave the country within 24 hours.

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