The arrest of travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, also known as Jyoti Rani, on espionage charges has sent shockwaves through India¡¯s online travel community. Accused of leaking sensitive military information to Pakistan, the 33-year-old¡¯s case has not only raised national security concerns but also sparked a flurry of online speculation about other Indian travel influencers who were seen alongside her or had previously visited Pakistan.
Jyoti Malhotra, a travel influencer from Haryana, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly spying for Pakistan and passing on sensitive information about the Indian military. She is one of six individuals booked under espionage charges.
According to a report by?NDTV, Malhotra first travelled to Pakistan in 2023 using a visa arranged by commission agents. During that visit, she is said to have met Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, an official at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Investigators claim she later established close ties with Rahim, who introduced her to Pakistani intelligence operatives. Even after returning to India, she reportedly stayed in touch with them.
She has been accused of leaking sensitive details about Indian Army movements, especially in the Haryana and Punjab regions. Her repeated visits to Pakistan, a later trip to Kashmir, and even travelling to Bali with a suspected Pakistani handler have all become key points in the investigation, as authorities suspect her involvement in a larger espionage network.
While authorities have not named or launched official investigations into other influencers, internet users have begun scrutinising Jyoti Malhotra's known associates, highlighting their past collaborations, social media posts, and travel history.
One of them is Navankur Chaudhary, a Haryanvi travel influencer with over 651,000 followers on Instagram who goes by the name?Yatri Doctor. A picture shared by Malhotra in March from the Pakistan High Commission featured Chaudhary, with a caption mentioning how both were Haryanvi and chatted in their usual desi style.
Users on X claimed that Chaudhary had spent several days in Pakistan, praised the Pakistan Army in his content, and even used an incorrect map of Kashmir, refusing to change it despite repeated requests.
Another name in the spotlight is Deepanshu Sangwan, known as?nomadic. Indian, who has 143,000 followers. He publicly defended Chaudhary, and a viral post on X alleged that while his peers focused on softening Pakistan¡¯s image, Sangwan¡¯s content was more focused on China.
Priyankaa Senapati, another travel vlogger originally from Odisha, has also been flagged by the netizens. X users dug up her old content and claimed that she made multiple visits to Pakistan and allegedly posted anti-India commentary.
Following Malhotra's arrest, Priyankaa, along with another influencer, Travel Soumit Bhattacharya (travel_with_soumit), shared identical Instagram stories trying to distance themselves from her. Their statements read: "Since many people are asking, let me clear it first. Jyoti was just a friend of mine, and I came in contact with her through YouTube. I was unaware of anything of which she has been accused. I would not have been in touch with her if I knew she was spying for an enemy country. I knew her professionally through content creation and was personally shocked to hear this. If any investigative agencies wish to cross-question me, I would provide full cooperation. The nation is above all. Jai Hind."
While no charges have been filed against these influencers, Jyoti Malhotra¡¯s arrest has brought attention to India's travel vlogging community. It has also made people question how much of the content we see online could be misleading, and how little we truly know about what happens behind it.