YouTuber linked to Jyoti Malhotra held in Punjab on espionage charges
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Chandigarh: Following the arrest of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra for alleged espionage on behalf of Pakistan, Punjab Police announced on Wednesday that they have uncovered another critical espionage network linked to Jasbir Singh, a Rupnagar resident.
Singh, who runs the YouTube channel 'JaanMahal', has been found connected to Pakistani intelligence operative Shakir, also known as Jutt Randhawa, a member of a terror-backed espionage operation.
He also maintained close contact with Haryana-based Jyoti Malhotra and Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a Pakistani national and expelled Pakistan High Commission official, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav informed on X.
Investigations have revealed that Jasbir Singh attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi at the invitation of Danish, where he interacted with Pakistani army officials and bloggers.
Singh had travelled to Pakistan three times—in 2020, 2021, and 2024—and his electronic devices contained multiple Pakistan-based contacts, which are now undergoing forensic analysis, according to the DGP.
Following the arrest of Jyoti Malhotra, Singh attempted to erase all evidence of his communications with Pakistani intelligence operatives to evade detection.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered in Mohali, and authorities are actively working to dismantle the larger espionage-terror network and identify all involved individuals.
A joint operation by Counter-Intelligence Punjab and Tarn Taran police led to the arrest of Gagandeep Singh, alias Gagan, a resident of Tarn Taran, for allegedly sharing sensitive information with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) regarding army movements during Operation Sindoor.
According to DGP Gaurav Yadav, preliminary investigations revealed that Singh had been in direct contact with Pakistan-based Khalistani supporter Gopal Singh Chawla for five years, through whom he was introduced to Pakistani intelligence operatives.
Authorities uncovered that Singh had been passing classified details, including troop deployments, strategic locations, and army movements, posing a serious national security risk. Police recovered two mobile devices from his possession containing sensitive intelligence, along with records of more than 20 ISI contacts.
The accused also received payments from operatives via Indian channels.
(inputs from IANS)
