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Former BJP Kerala president K Surendran on Saturday alleged that the Kerala government facilitated the visit of YouTuber Jyoti M Malhotra, who is currently in custody for alleged espionage
for Pakistan, through a state-sponsored tourism programme. In a post on X, Surendran claimed that Jyoti Malhotra’s trip to Kannur was organized by Kerala Tourism, which is headed by Tourism
Minister Mohammed Riyas, the son-in-law of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Advertisement “Who did she meet? Where did she go? What’s the real agenda? Why is Kerala rolling out red carpets
for a Pak-linked spy?” Surendran asked in the post. Advertisement He further stated, “Pinarayi Vijayan is turning Kerala into a safe haven for internal and external threats to our nation.”
According to intelligence sources, Jyoti M Malhotra, who was arrested for spying for Pakistan, had visited Kerala three months ago and secretly recorded footage of high-security zones,
including strategically significant locations such as the Cochin Shipyard. The Special Branch of Kerala Police reportedly discovered that Malhotra had visited tourist destinations, shopping
malls, Kochi Metro and Water Metro stations, and had also captured scenes of sensitive installations like the Cochin Shipyard during her trip. Jyoti, a Haryana native with over 300,000
followers on YouTube, had uploaded multiple half-hour-long travel vlogs documenting her experiences in Kerala. In one video, she mentions tourist spots in Kochi, before casually showing the
Cochin Shipyard. Other videos highlight historic landmarks in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, and trips to Munnar, Kuthampully weaving village in Thrissur, and tourist destinations in Kannur
and Kozhikode. She also produced two videos on her visits to Munnar and Athirappilly. Additional vlogs cover Eravikulam National Park, Thekkady, Alappuzha houseboats, Kovalam, Jadayuppara,
Varkala, and Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station. Another vlog captures her journey from Kannur to Thrissur. Jyoti was arrested after it was found that she had been in direct contact
with Pakistani intelligence operatives, and had shared information that posed a threat to national security, police sources confirmed. Advertisement