Fact Check: Viral Photos Claiming Rahul Gandhi Posed With Alleged Spy Jyoti Malhotra Are Edited

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.