Image Of Gamer Payal Dhare Shared As ‘Spy’ Jyoti Malhotra.

Recently, YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra from Hisar, Haryana, has been arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information and being in continuous contact with a Pakistani citizen. According to reports, she will be brought before a court in Hisar on Monday, 26 May, as her four-day police remand ends. Against this backdrop, an image allegedly showing Jyoti Malhotra with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, went viral on social media. The image shows Narendra Modi with a woman, allegedly Jyoti Malhotra, and six men posing for a photograph. 

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However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was false. The woman in the viral image is not Jyoti Malhotra. Here’s the fact check.

Fact Check 

We started our investigation by conducting a reverse image search. This led us to a report published in the Indian Express on 15 April 2024 which contained an image similar to the viral one. According to the report, the Prime Minister interacted with seven gamers and content creators, discussed the growth of gaming in India and answered some of their questions. The gamers included Animesh Agarwal, Mithilesh Patankar, Payal Dhare, Naman Mathur, and Anshu Bisht.

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Using relevant keywords, we found a video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Narendra Modi on 13 April 2024. The description of the video reads, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a gaming interaction and played PC and VR games with top Indian gamers like  @gcttirth‬ (Tirth Mehta),  @PAYALGAMING‬  (Payal Dhare),  @8bitthug‬ (Animesh Agarwal),   @GamerFleet‬ (Anshu Bisht),  @MortaLyt‬  (Naman Mathur),  @Mythpat‬  (Mithilesh Patankar),  @SkRossi‬ (Ganesh Gangadhar). They also discussed the new developments in the Gaming industry and how the Modi government has recognized the creativity of gamers promoting the Gaming industry in India. They also engaged on issues concerning Gambling vs Gaming while discussing women participation in the Gaming industry.”

According to the description, the woman in the video is Payal Dhare. The viral image can be seen towards the end of the video.

Another video can be seen below.

A report published in The Times of India on 14 April 2024 which contained an image similar to the viral image can be read here.

This makes it clear that the woman in the viral image is Payal Dhare, a gamer.

Conclusion 

From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The woman seen with PM Narendra Modi is not YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra. She is Payal Dhare, a gamer, who along with six other gamers met PM Modi in 2024.