The recent detention of Hisar-based travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra on charges of espionage for Pakistan is more than an isolated incident—it is emblematic of a broader, state-backed campaign of information warfare that Islamabad has increasingly waged against India. Acting on intelligence inputs from central agencies and a CIA-assisted probe, Haryana Police arrested Jyoti from her New Agarsain Extension home after uncovering her contacts with Pakistani operatives, including Ahsan-Ur-Rahim (alias Danish), and her transmission of sensitive data via WhatsApp, Snapchat and Telegram upon returning from two 2023 visits to Pakistan. She has been booked under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and multiple provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 1923—illustrating Delhi’s determination to clamp down on such clandestine networks. She was detained alongside five others from Punjab and Haryana for allegedly transmitting sensitive information to Pakistani operatives.
Yet overt espionage arrests are only the tip of the iceberg. Behind the scenes, Pakistan’s “troll farms” and proxy social-media accounts have been relentlessly pushing fabricated narratives designed to undermine Indian institutions and morale. In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year, multiple Pakistan-based channels falsely alleged that Lieutenant General D.S. Rana, Director General of India’s Defence Intelligence Agency, had been “sacked” and exiled to the Andaman Islands—a claim swiftly debunked by both the Ministry of Defence and credible media outlets India Today EconomicTimes. Such coordinated disinformation not only seeks to erode trust in India’s military leadership but also to provoke internal dissent and confusion.
Beyond targeted military smears, Islamabad’s cyber-networks have engineered large-scale frauds—most recently uncovered in Assam—whereby fake SIM cards linked to Pakistani agents were used to set up fraudulent WhatsApp accounts, pilfer OTPs, and facilitate anti-national cyber-operations across several states The Times of India. Dubbed “Operation Ghost SIM,” the raids and subsequent arrests in Assam, Rajasthan and Telangana exposed how deeply these operations can penetrate everyday communications, laying the groundwork for both espionage and mass disinformation.
Mainstream Pakistani media, once a mere amplifier of shadowy troll-farm content, has in recent months taken to airing these very fabrications in primetime shows, thereby lending them a veneer of legitimacy. A detailed investigation by Sunday Guardian Live revealed that claims of high-ranking Indian officers being relieved of duty circulated first on social platforms and were later parroted by television anchors without verification The Sunday Guardian Live. Such a tactic—blurring the line between fringe disinformation and established news—intensifies the impact of falsehoods on public perceptions and diplomatic discourse.
Analysts warn that this is part of a deliberate “perception strike,” wherein Pakistan’s military and intelligence apparatus leverages digital platforms to magnify India’s vulnerabilities, raise communal tensions, and invite external pressure on New Delhi. A recent exposé by Global Voices underlined how, in today’s conflict, “perception is the battlefield”—and Pakistan has proven adept at weaponizing social-media narratives to cast itself as besieged victim while portraying India as an aggressor Global Voices. As the Jyoti Malhotra case shows, the front lines now include not only borders and airspace but also YouTube channels, messaging apps, and live-news broadcasts. Combating this evolving threat will demand even greater vigilance from security agencies, tighter collaboration with tech platforms, and a well-resourced fact-checking infrastructure to inoculate the public against these insidious campaigns.
