Punjab: YouTuber held for spying for Pakistan

Chandigarh: The Punjab Police have arrested a YouTuber on charges of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Wednesday.

The arrested accused, identified as Jasbir Singh alias Jaan Mahal (41), a resident of Village Mahlan in Rupnagar, has been operating a YouTube channel “JaanMahal Video” with over 11 lakh subscribers, ostensibly posting travel and cooking vlogs. DGP Yadav said that the accused has been found associated with Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) Shakir alias Jutt Randhawa, part of a terror-backed espionage network. He also maintained close contact with Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on espionage charges by the Haryana Police, and Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, an expelled Pak High Commission official.

He said that 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. The accused has also travelled to Pakistan on three occasions, including in 2020, 2021 and 2024, and came into direct contact with ISI officers, who subsequently cultivated and recruited him to carry out espionage activities within India, he added.