Claim
Multiple viral images on social media claim to show Congress leader Rahul Gandhi photographed alongside Jyoti Malhotra, a YouTuber and travel vlogger who was recently arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan.
Investigation
Reverse Image Search – Photo 1:
The first viral image appears to show Rahul Gandhi standing next to a woman alleged to be Jyoti Malhotra. A reverse image search of this photo led us to multiple news reports from 2018.
These reports show that the original image featured Aditi Singh, a Rae Bareli Congress MLA at the time and daughter of politician Akhilesh Singh. In 2018, the photo had sparked online speculation about a relationship between her and Gandhi, which Singh had firmly denied.
Conclusion: The original photo is at least 6 years old and features Aditi Singh, not Jyoti Malhotra.
Reverse Image Search – Photo 2:
The second viral image shows Gandhi hugging a woman, again claimed to be Jyoti Malhotra. A reverse image search led us to a Facebook post by Rahul Gandhi, dated September 18, 2022, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Alappuzha, Kerala.
A report by multiple media outlets confirms that the woman was a local Congress supporter, and not Malhotra.
Conclusion: The photo is real but has been digitally edited to swap the woman’s face with Malhotra’s.
Fake Image Detector Analysis:
To verify further, we ran both viral images through an AI-based Fake Image Detector tool.
- The original photos (featuring Aditi Singh and the woman in Kerala) were flagged as authentic.
- The viral photos were flagged as computer-generated or digitally modified.
This confirms the use of face-swapping or editing tools to insert Jyoti Malhotra’s face into genuine images of Rahul Gandhi.
Verdict: False
The viral photographs claiming to show Rahul Gandhi with alleged spy Jyoti Malhotra are digitally manipulated. The original images are from 2018 and 2022, featuring Aditi Singh and a Bharat Jodo Yatra participant, respectively.
There is no verifiable evidence of any link between Rahul Gandhi and Jyoti Malhotra.