New Delhi: A doctored photograph linking YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra — recently arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan — with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has gone viral on social media, sparking political attacks and misinformation.
The image, widely shared on X (formerly Twitter), purportedly shows Malhotra posing with the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Several users accused Rahul Gandhi of being connected to anti-national elements. One post read, “What a strange coincidence that every traitor is seen with Rahul Gandhi. Is he the mastermind behind the turmoil in the country?”
However, a simple Google image search and reverse image verification have exposed the truth. The original photograph, taken in 2017, features former Congress MLA Aditi Singh alongside Rahul Gandhi. Singh, who later switched to the BJP in 2021, had herself shared the original photo on social media years before Malhotra’s YouTube career began.
Fact-checking agencies have also confirmed that the viral photo is digitally altered.
Meanwhile, Jyoti Malhotra was arrested last month for allegedly passing sensitive information to Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani High Commission staffer. Authorities revealed she had been in contact with Danish since November 2023 and was being cultivated as a Pakistani intelligence asset.
Malhotra, with 3.9 lakh YouTube subscribers, reportedly visited Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh, raising further suspicions. She is one among 12 individuals arrested across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in the ongoing espionage crackdown.