The Punjab Police have arrested YouTuber Jasbir Singh for his alleged involvement in a Pakistan-backed espionage network. Mr Singh, who runs the popular YouTube channel JaanMahal Video, was picked up by the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) in Mohali on Wednesday following intelligence inputs.
According to the police, Mr Singh was in direct contact with a Pakistani intelligence officer identified as Shakir, alias Jutt Randhawa, who is believed to be part of a terror-linked spy network operated by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Investigators said Mr Singh passed on sensitive information about Indian security force movements.
Who Is Jasbir Singh?
- Jasbir Singh is a 41-year-old YouTuber from Mahlan village in Ropar district, Punjab. He currently lives in Rupnagar, Punjab. His Facebook picture contains the tag, "I support farmers."
- He runs a popular YouTube channel called JaanMahal Video, which has over 1.1 million subscribers. His content mainly includes travel videos documenting his trips to countries like Malaysia, Maldives, Thailand and others.
- On Instagram, Jasbir Singh has close to 42,000 followers. His Instagram bio describes him as a food vlogger.
- His last Instagram post, uploaded two days ago, featured a video of his son celebrating Punjab Kings' win over Mumbai Indians in the IPL semi final.
- A cricket enthusiast, Mr Singh frequently attends matches at stadiums and appears to be involved with his local cricket club, as seen in several of his Instagram videos.
Why Was Jasbir Singh Arrested?
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav confirmed that Mr Singh maintained ties with Jyoti Malhotra, a Haryana-based YouTuber, who was arrested on May 15 in a similar espionage case. Investigators accused Ms Malhotra of spying for Pakistan and reported her links to the same network.
According to Punjab Police, Jasbir Singh visited Pakistan three times, around the same time Jyoti Malhotra travelled there. Mr Singh was arrested in Rupnagar, and forensic teams are currently examining multiple Pakistani phone numbers found on his devices.
Authorities also revealed that Mr Singh attended the Pakistan National Day event at the Pakistani Embassy in Delhi, where Pakistan High Commission official Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, invited him.
Indian authorities later expelled Danish from the country.
