Jyoti Malhotra, the travel vlogger from Haryana’s Sirsa held on alleged spying charges, was the Kerala government’s guest in a campaign to promote tourism and visited the southern state during its influencer outreach initiative.
According to a report published in Mathrubhumi, it has been revealed through an Right To Information (RTI) Act that the Kerala government sponsored the trip of 41 influencers selected to give a boost to the southern state as a global tourist destination.
Their travel, stay and meals were sponsored by the state government. It hired a private agency to assist them with shooting videos while staying there. Jyoti Malhotra was one among these 41 influencers.
With the news leading to opposition parties questioning the state government, Kerala Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas said that Jyoti Malhotra was among the influencers invited by the state to promote Kerala. “This was part of a larger influencer campaign aimed at promoting Kerala. Everything was done transparently and in good faith,” he was quoted saying. “This is not a government that facilitates espionage. The media must understand how government systems work. No one could have foreseen this,” he added.
He described the charges being leveled against the state government for inviting her as “pure propaganda” and that the state government “would never knowingly invite a spy”. The opposition parties, Congress and BJP among them, have attacked the Left Front government for questioning why influencer backgrounds were not vetted properly before they were contacted.
“RTI reveals Pakistani spy Jyoti Malhotra visited Kerala on Left government invite & was state guest in a sense courtesy Tourism Dept. So Bharat Mata is blocked and Pak Spies are given RED CARPET by Left? Tourism Minister Mohammad Riyas is son in law of Vijayan. He should be sacked.. and investigated,” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said in a post on X.
Jyoti Malhotra visited Kochi, Kannur, Kozhikode, Alappuzha, Munnar, and Thiruvananthapuram during her stay in Kerala. She filmed vlogs of Theyyam shows and scenic places. These vlogs were uploaded on her YouTube channel, Travel with Jo, and on social media.
The 33-year-old travel vlogger had previously visited the state when the spying allegations emerged. She was arrested in May 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. After her arrest, Haryana Police said that Pakistani intelligence agencies were grooming her as an asset.