Did Espionage-Accused YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra Visit Munabao Border Without Permission?
Jyoti Malhotra, arrested for espionage, visited the restricted India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan without permission, filming videos advocating for the Thar Express. She reached Munabao, the last Indian railway station, and stayed near the border.
Jyoti Malhotra, who has been arrested on charges of espoinage, had also visited Rajasthan, including the India-Pakistan border on the western front, in January last year. Reports suggest she stayed for a day in a village near the border.
Jyoti first arrived in Rajasthan’s Barmer district and later travelled by train to Munabao, which is the last railway station on the Indian side—beyond which lies Pakistan. According to the rules, no outsider can visit Munabao or the border region without permission from the district collector or security agencies. Despite this, Jyoti not only reached Munabao but also visited villages near the India-Pakistan border in Barmer, reportedly stayed there for a day, and even made and uploaded videos from the area.
One such video shows her advocating for the resumption of the Thar Express train service between India and Pakistan, which was suspended after the Pulwama terror attack.
They key question that arises is about the permission granted to Jyoti to visit the Barmer border. There is another possibility that Jyoti might have visited the area without any official permission.
Border areas like Munabao are classified as restricted zones, and no outsider is allowed there without formal permission—only local residents are exempt from this rule.
Who Is Jyoti Malhotra?
Jyoti is a resident of Haryana and her YouTube channel and Instagram account have 377,000 subscribers and 133,000 followers, respectively. She was allegedly in contact with a Pakistani staffer working at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.
Malhotra's YouTube channel account shows some videos regarding her visit to Pakistan - 'Indian Girl in Pakistan', 'Indian Girl Exploring Lahore', 'Indian Girl at Katas Raj Temple' and 'Indian Girl Rides Luxury Bus in Pakistan'. She has made a total of 487 videos so far. She has described herself as a 'Nomadic Leo Girl', 'Wanderer Haryanvi + Punjabi' and 'purane khayalon ki modern ladki' on her YouTube channel.
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