Jyoti Malhotra, a 33-year-old YouTuber from Haryana who operates the channel 'Travel with JO', is undergoing rigorous interrogation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and military intelligence following her arrest on espionage charges. She was apprehended on May 16, 2025, in New Aggarsain Extension, Hisar, and charged under the Official Secrets Act and the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act.

Malhotra is among 12 individuals recently detained across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in a crackdown on a suspected Pakistan-linked espionage network in northern India.

As of May 20, 2025, the interrogation, now in its fourth day, has seen limited cooperation from Malhotra, who has invoked her right to freedom of speech. Her custody is set to end on Wednesday. The investigation covers several critical areas: her 2023 trip to Pakistan during Vaisakhi, including who facilitated it and discrepancies in her footage; her connections with Ehsan Dar, a Pakistani official previously declared persona non grata, and whether she maintained contact with him; her visa overstay in 2024 and the pro-Pakistan tone of her videos; a controversial Pahalgam video where she blamed Indian security forces; and other Pakistani contacts she may have had.

Authorities are also examining encrypted chats on her devices, her use of secure communication tools like Signal and Telegram, and her international travel history to countries like China and Dubai. Additionally, they are probing whether she was instructed to gather footage from sensitive locations like Kartarpur or Kashmir, and if she acknowledges any responsibility in the alleged espionage activities.