What is espionage accused Jyoti Malhotra’s connection to the Kerala government?

By Sreelakshmi Soman

What is espionage accused Jyoti Malhotra’s connection to the Kerala government?

Kerala Minister for Public Works Department and Tourism, PA Mohammed Riyas said social media influencers from outside the state are regularly invited to promote tourism and that Jyoti Malhotra was not invited with any prior knowledge of her alleged involvement in espionage.

Synopsis: Jyoti Malhotra, a travel vlogger from Haryana now facing espionage charges, was officially hosted by the Kerala Tourism Department as part of its influencer campaign between January 2024 and May 2025, according to an RTI reply. Amid a political row following the revelations, State Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas criticised the media coverage, pointing out that no government would “knowingly invite such people.”

Haryana-based travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested in May on charges of spying for Pakistan, was hosted by the Kerala Tourism Department as part of its influencer collaboration initiative, according to a document obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) request.

The document confirms that Malhotra visited several destinations across Kerala – including Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Alappuzha, and Munnar – under a state-funded campaign aimed at promoting tourism on social media.

Her name features on the department’s official list of influencers who collaborated with Kerala Tourism between January 2024 and May 2025.

The revelation has sparked a political row in Kerala, with the ruling CPI(M) coming under criticism from right-wing social media handles, the BJP and its affiliates, for its association with an individual now facing espionage charges.

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Who is Jyoti Malhotra?

Jyoti Malhotra, 33, is a travel vlogger from Hisar, Haryana, who posted content shot in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, and several parts of India.

A video of her wearing a traditional Kerala sari during a Theyyam performance in Kannur had earlier gained wide traction online.

She was arrested in early May 2025 at the peak of Operation Sindoor and charged under the Official Secrets Act.

According to Hisar Police, Malhotra had been in contact with four individuals identified as Pakistani intelligence operatives, including Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.

Danish was expelled from India on 13 May in connection with alleged espionage activity.

Police allege that Malhotra had been in contact with Pakistani operatives since November 2023, despite knowing their affiliations. However, police said so far there was no evidence to suggest she accessed any military or defence-related information.

Notably, her Instagram account, which had around 1.33 lakh followers, was taken down after her arrest. Within 24 hours, her follower count rose by over 7,000 and her name was searched more than one lakh times on Google.

Malhotra had participated in several sponsored trips to Pakistan and had visited the country shortly before the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025.

A day after her arrest, Hisar Police said Pakistani intelligence agencies had been actively targeting Indian social media influencers to advance their agenda.

Malhotra is one of 12 individuals arrested across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh as part of a suspected Pakistan-linked spy ring involving Indian digital influencers.

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‘We invited her in good faith, not knowing spy allegations’: Minister Riyas

Former BJP state president K Surendran, in a Facebook post, claimed he had flagged the issue a month ago, “but Malayalam media didn’t take it seriously, while national media did.”

In response to the controversy, Kerala Minister for Public Works Department and Tourism, PA Mohammed Riyas said social media influencers from outside the state are regularly invited to promote tourism and that Jyoti Malhotra was not invited with any prior knowledge of her alleged involvement in espionage.

“Do you really think the government would knowingly invite someone accused of sedition? Jyoti Malhotra was invited with good intentions, just as has been done before. She was not brought here knowing she was a spy. Would any government knowingly invite such people?” he asked.

Riyas added that prominent YouTubers were brought to Kerala following crises such as the Nipah outbreak and the Wayanad landslide, to help revive tourism. He further said that he is not afraid of controversies.

Arun Arimbra, a traveller and content creator from Kerala, confirmed that he had been invited by the department under the ‘Ente Keralam, Ennum Sundaram’ campaign launched after the Wayanad landslides.

“It was just to support the government’s efforts – we were not paid,” he told South First. Arimbra said he created reels using the department’s promotional song and tagged the campaign on social media to help boost visibility.

“They choose influencers based on social media reach, not through any formal agreement,” he added.

Criticizing the media, the minister said they should not publish news without verifying facts and should not take up anyone’s political allegations as truth.

“Let those doing propaganda continue with it. We are not afraid. The public knows the truth, and the people are with us,” he said.

(Edited by Dese Gowda)

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