Kochi: A woman who presented herself as a travel vlogger has now been unmasked as a covert operative for Pakistan. Jyoti Malhotra, a Haryana-based content creator with over 300,000 YouTube subscribers, is at the center of a serious espionage investigation after Kerala’s Special Branch revealed she had secretly documented sensitive locations during her visit to the state.

Investigators confirmed that Malhotra arrived in Kerala three months ago and discreetly captured footage of high-security zones, including the strategically crucial Cochin Shipyard. What appeared to be harmless travel vlogs showcasing Kochi's vibrant tourism circuit—including metro stations, shopping malls, and the Water Metro—were in fact a cover for intelligence gathering.

Her camera also roamed across scenic areas such as Munnar, the heritage weaving village of Kuthampully in Thrissur, and popular destinations in Kannur and Kozhikode. These locations were edited into vlogs that emphasized tourism, while subtly weaving in visuals of critical infrastructure.

According to police sources, Malhotra had been maintaining clandestine communications with Pakistani intelligence operatives and is believed to have transmitted sensitive material that could endanger national security. Her seemingly innocent video on Kochi spans over thirty minutes, artfully mixing shots of shipyards, religious landmarks, and heritage zones in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry.

Her arrest last week has triggered a broader probe into how digital platforms can be manipulated for cross-border spying under the guise of content creation. The authorities are now combing through her online activity for further leads into the espionage network.

Source: News Agencies