Secunderabad Railway Station Footage Resurfaces Amid Arrest Of Travel Vlogger In Espionage Case

HYDERABAD: Footage of Haryana-based travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, arrested on Saturday for allegedly spying for Pakistan, filming inside the Secunderabad station has resurfaced on social media. The video, originally shot in 2023, shows Malhotra filming the Vande Bharat Express during its launch event at the station, where she had reportedly posed as a journalist.

The launch was attended by then Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Union minister G. Kishan Reddy and then-senior BJP leader and incumbent minister Bandi Sanjay. The train was virtually flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was not physically present at the Secunderabad station.

Malhotra, who runs the YouTube channel ‘Travel with Jo’, was seen filming inside the train and the station premises. While the video had passed without scrutiny at the time, it is now drawing renewed attention after her arrest alongside five others accused of being part of an espionage ring linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

According to investigators, she had travelled to Pakistan in 2023 on a visa arranged through commission agents and developed close ties with a staffer at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, identified as Ehsaan-ur-Rehman alias Danish.

Officials claim Malhotra shared sensitive information concerning key locations with ISI contacts and was part of a wider network operating across Haryana and Punjab. The other accused include postgraduate student Devender Singh Dhillon, arrested for allegedly passing confidential data to Pakistan; Malerkotla resident Yameen Mohammed, for facilitating visas; and Armaan, who was reportedly tasked with site visits including to defence expos under ISI directions.

The resurfacing of the Secunderabad video has led to sharp reactions online, especially after it was revealed that Malhotra attended the 2023 Vande Bharat event as a media person. It was not clear if she had been invited to the event.

One user wrote, “Imagine someone using their influencer status to betray the nation. This is a chilling reminder of how online fame can be misused,” while another said, “This isn’t just about one person. The system needs to seriously rethink who gets to attend state events like these. Vetting processes are clearly not strong enough.”

Concerns were also raised about influencer culture and unchecked access to public infrastructure. “The fact that she had a camera inside the train and was moving freely raises serious red flags. How many others could be doing the same without detection?” read another post on Reddit. A user from Hyderabad tweeted, “We see vloggers everywhere these days, even in areas they probably shouldn’t be. It’s time to draw a line when national security is at stake.”