Who Is Ehsan-ur-Rahim? Pakistani diplomat linked to arrested YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra in espionage case

A Pakistani official at the High Commission in New Delhi has been expelled from India for alleged espionage activities. The official, Ehsan-ur-Rahim, is accused of recruiting Indian nationals, including travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra.

A Pakistani official, Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, who worked at the country's High Commission in New Delhi, has now become the main figure of an exposed espionage network.

He has been expelled from India amid the allegations and is accused of helping recruit Indian nationals to gather sensitive information and promote pro-Pakistan narratives online.

One such recruit was Jyoti Malhotra, a travel vlogger from Haryana, who was arrested last week by the state's anti-espionage wing. Malhotra was in regular encrypted contact with Danish and other Pakistani intelligence operatives via WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat. Authorities claim that Danish played a key role in cultivating Malhotra as a source, facilitating her visa extension and travel logistics during their first meeting in 2023 at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.

Malhotra's involvement went beyond gathering location-based intelligence within India. She was allegedly instructed to post favourable content about Pakistan on her social media accounts, including her YouTube channel "Travel with Joe," which has over 3.9 lakh subscribers. Malhotra also had an intimate relationship with one of her handlers and traveled to Bali, Indonesia, with him.

The investigation has revealed that Danish introduced Malhotra to at least two other suspected ISI operatives, identified as Shakir and Rana Shahbaz. Police have booked Malhotra under the Official Secrets Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).