RTI Shocker: Why Is Pakistani Spy Jyoti Malhotra’s Kerala Tour Causing Political Storm?

New Delhi: Haryana-based travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested in May on charges of spying for Pakistan, was hosted by the Kerala Tourism Department under its influencer collaboration programme, official documents accessed through a Right to Information (RTI) request show. 

Malhotra, 33, who was arrested in May under the Official Secrets Act during Operation Sindoor, visited several tourist destinations in Kerala as part of a state-funded push to promote the state on social media. Official records list her among influencers who collaborated with the Kerala Tourism Department between January 2024 and May 2025, covering Kochi, Kannur, Kozhikode, Alappuzha, and Munnar.

While the campaign was intended to boost Kerala’s digital footprint among travellers, the revelation of Malhotra’s inclusion has triggered a sharp backlash against the ruling CPI(M), with the BJP and right-wing social media users questioning how an individual now accused of espionage was hosted using public funds.

Malhotra, who hails from Hisar, ran a popular travel channel that featured videos from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, and various Indian states. One of her Kerala videos, showing her draped in a traditional sari while attending a Theyyam performance in Kannur, had previously gone viral.

Her arrest in May came after Hisar Police alleged she was in touch with four Pakistani intelligence operatives, including Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi who was expelled from India on May 13 over espionage allegations. Police said Malhotra was in contact with Pakistani handlers since November 2023, despite knowing their affiliations, but clarified there was no evidence yet that she accessed any defence-related information. 

Following her arrest, Malhotra’s Instagram account, which had over 1.33 lakh followers, was taken down. Her follower count reportedly increased by 7,000 in a day while her name spiked in Google searches, reflecting the intense interest around her case. She had made multiple sponsored trips to Pakistan and was in the country shortly before the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025.

The police have described Malhotra as part of a broader Pakistan-linked spy network targeting Indian content creators, with 12 arrests made across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh under the same operation.

“Jyoti Malhotra Was Invited With Good Intentions”, Says Kerala Minister

Amid the uproar, Kerala’s Minister for Public Works and Tourism, PA Mohammed Riyas, defended the invitation, saying influencers from across India are often brought in to support tourism revival efforts, especially following crises like the Nipah outbreak and the Wayanad landslides.

“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?” Riyas said.

The minister also criticised sections of the media for reporting “propaganda” without verification, insisting that the government was not afraid of such controversies and that the public was aware of the truth.

Meanwhile, former BJP state president K Surendran claimed on Facebook that he flagged the issue a month ago but that it was ignored by Malayalam media while being picked up by national outlets.

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