Espionage case: Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Gupta's Kerala visit under scanner; govt cites tourism campaign, clarifies no recent invite

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tourism minister P A Mohamed Riyas said that the govt did not invite social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra to the state knowing that she was accused of being a spy.The travel vlogger, who was arrested on charges of spying and for having close contact with a Pakistani defence person, visited Kerala many times to create vlogs. The minister said that Malhotra was part of a group of influencers who were invited to showcase destinations in the state. The govt has been focusing on influencers who have a good reach among young, affluent and travel-savvy people. She visited many prominent places, including Varkala and Thekkady. The state govt invited influencers who are good at creating promotional videos about tourist sites to promote these destinations, Riyas said.