Chandigarh, Jun 4: A Punjab-based YouTuber alleged to be in close touch with influencer Jyoti Malhotra, who is in custody on charges of spying for Pakistan, has been arrested after police unearthed a “terror-backed espionage network” linking him to Pakistani intelligence and army officials, police said on Wednesday.
Jasbir Singh was found to be associated with a Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO), was in contact with a Pakistan High Commission official who was recently expelled from New Delhi on charges of spying and had met Pakistan Army officials during one of his three visits to the neighbouring country, they said.
A Mohali court sent Singh to three-day police remand after he was produced before it.
A resident of Mahlan village in Rupnagar district, Singh has a YouTube channel with 1.1 million subscribers. He was allegedly in close contact with Jyoti Malhotra who was earlier arrested by Haryana Police on espionage charges.
“Jasbir Singh, who operates a YouTube channel called ‘Jaan Mahal’, has been found associated with PIO Shakir alias Jutt Randhawa, part of a terror-backed espionage network,” Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said in a post on X.
He also maintained contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani national who was expelled as an official of the Pakistan High Commission, Yadav posted.
“Investigations have revealed that Jasbir attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi on Danish’s invitation, where he met Pakistani Army officials and vloggers. He travelled to Pakistan on three occasions (2020, 2021, 2024), and his electronic devices contained multiple Pakistan-based numbers, now under detailed forensic scrutiny,” he added.
After Malhotra’s arrest, Singh attempted to erase all traces of his communications with the PIOs to avoid detection, Yadav said.
An FIR has been registered at the State Special Operation Cell in Mohali. “Investigations are underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators, he added.
Hisar native Malhotra (33) who was running a YouTube channel ‘Travel with JO’ was arrested last month.
On May 13, India expelled Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, who was posted at the Pakistan High Commission, for allegedly indulging in espionage.
On Tuesday, a man hailing from Tarn Taran district was arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information related to the Army’s movements during Operation Sindoor with PIOs. He was also allegedly in contact with Pakistan-based pro Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla.
Last month, police arrested six persons for allegedly spying for Pakistan.
Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih from Ajnala in Amritsar as well as Guzala and Yameen Mohamad from Malerkotla have been nabbed by police.
Guzala and Yameen had been receiving payments through online transactions in exchange for sharing classified information. Guzala had been in contact with Pakistani High Commission official Danish.
Two more persons — Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh — were later arrested by police from Gurdaspur for sharing sensitive military information with Pakistan’s ISI.
The action on spy networks within the country comes in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead and the four-day military conflict with Pakistan that followed. (PTI)
