New Delhi: Jyoti Malhotra, who is charged with espionage, was among the 41 influencers that Kerala roped in to promote the state’s tourism, NDTV reported.
The 33-year-old vlogger from Haryana's Sirsa had visited the state before the allegations of spying surfaced.
A query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act revealed that Kerala government funded the travel, accommodation and food of the influencers.
The government was looking forward to promote the state as a global tourist destination.
A private agency was also engaged in to help influencers with shooting videos during their stay.
Kerala’s Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas said Jyoti Malhotra was among the influencers invited to promote Kerala, adding that it was ‘part of a larger influencer campaign.’
Minister PA Mohammed Riyas stressed that ‘Everything was done transparently and in good faith’.
Taking on criticism from the Opposition, the minister said ‘No one could have foreseen this’ and urged the media to know ‘how government systems work’, adding that ‘This is not a government that facilitates espionage.’
Calling the allegations over inviting Jyoti Malhotra as ‘pure propaganda’, the minister said the government would never ‘ knowingly invite a spy’.
Opposition parties, including the Congress and the BJP, questioned the government for not having checked the backgrounds of influencers before reaching out to them.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said in a post on X: ‘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.’
Jyoti Malhotra, was arrested in May 2025, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor over charges of spying for Pakistan, visited Kochi, Kannur, Kozhikode, Alappuzha, Munnar, and Thiruvananthapuram and shot vlogs on Theyyam performances and scenic locations.
It is reported that police found that Jyoti Malhotra had visited Pakistan shortly before the terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 innocents dead.