Kerala CM, Tourism Minister hosted Pak-linked vlogger Malhotra with red carpet treatment: Ex-BJP chief

BJP leader and former state party president K Surendran on Saturday alleged that the Kerala government facilitated the visit of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra—now in custody for alleged espionage for Pakistan—through a state-sponsored programme.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Surendran claimed that Malhotra’s Kannur trip was organised by Kerala Tourism, which is headed by Tourism Minister Mohammed Riyas, the son-in-law of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

"Who did she meet? Where did she go? What’s the real agenda? Why is Kerala rolling out red carpets for a Pak-linked spy?" Surendran wrote. He further stated, "Pinarayi Vijayan is turning Kerala into a safe haven for internal and external threats to our nation."

Temple visit under intelligence radar

The YouTuber is believed to have visited the Kaasipuram Sree Vanasastha Temple in Palakkad during a local festival in January. A video she recorded at the time shows her receiving offerings during a Theyyam ritual, which is now being cited as evidence by intelligence agencies and the police.

The joint probe was launched after the footage surfaced, with investigators suspecting her Kerala trip lasted seven days. Still images from the video are being analysed to confirm her presence.

Arrest part of nationwide spy crackdown

Malhotra, a resident of Hisar and creator of the YouTube channel Travel with JO, was arrested from New Aggarsain Extension. She is one of 12 individuals held across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh under Operation Sindoor, a major crackdown on a suspected Pakistan-backed espionage network.

She has been booked under the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. According to investigators, she was in regular contact with members of Pakistan's ISI and allegedly passed on sensitive information.

Malhotra reportedly visited the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2023, where she met a man named Ahsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish. She then made two trips to Pakistan and was seen walking through Lahore’s Anarkali Bazaar under armed escort in one of the surfaced videos.

The court remanded her to 14 days’ judicial custody on 26 May.