Travel vlogger Yatri Doctor rubbishes allegation of being Pakistani spy

Navankur Chaudhary aka Yatri Doctor, a famous doctor-turned-YouTube travel vlogger, has come under intense online spotlight after being accused of being an alleged Pakistani informer.

Chaudhary has become the target of a social media trial after the arrest of another famous YouTuber, Jyoti Malhotra. Malhotra has been arrested on the charges of spying for Pakistan and sharing sensitive Indian military information with Pakistan.

'Fake narrative', says YouTuber

In a video statement from Ireland, where he is currently traveling, Chaudhary denied any wrongdoing, saying that a fake narrative is being spread against him.

He welcomed an official probe to prove his innocence.

“I am in Ireland currently. I’ve been accused of sharing confidential information with Pakistan — these allegations are completely baseless,” he said.

“I’ve heard about the arrests in Haryana, and now my name is being dragged in. Let me return to India. If any agency — NIA or otherwise — finds that I am guilty, I am ready to go to jail and face the consequences and I am ready to support any kind of investigation. ” he emphasised.

He also declared that he had been to Pakistan just once, as part of his goal to visit all 197 countries.

Suspicious activities

His intentions came into question after the arrest of Jyoti for her activities in Pakistan, including a visit to the Pakistan High Commission.

Analysis of his social media posts has put Malhotra at a party in the Pakistan High Commission as well, along with other apparently suspicious evidence.

This includes his criticism of the boycott campaign against Turkiye, his praise for Pakistan and the Pakistani Army, and his visibly agitated response to calls for using the correct Indian map of Kashmir in his videos.

He admitted he knew Jyoti Malhotra but as a fan, not as a friend, saying, “I treated her like a fan. I can’t look inside a person to see what they are. Before that day, I did not know Jyoti personally. We had never met before.”

Jyoti Malhotra arrested

Whether this enquiry of the Yatri Doctor continues remains to be seen, but this has embodied the recently increasing investigations into social media influencers with suspicious activities.

Jyoti Malhotra was arrested for her alleged involvement in passing information about Indian instalments and locations to Pakistan.

She is said to have had close contact with Pakistani officials at an Iftar party at the Pakistan High Commission, with several social media posts heaping praises on Pakistan raising suspicion.

Another student under suspicion

Apart from Malhotra, a 25-year-old student named Devender Dhillon was also arrested under the National Security Act.

A resident of Kaithal district in Haryana and a postgraduate student at Khalsa College, Patiala, Dhillon allegedly shared sensitive details regarding “Operation Sindoor” — an Indian military response to recent terror attacks in Kashmir — after being radicalised during a religious trip to Kartarpur Sahib.