Chandigarh: In a significant breakthrough against espionage networks threatening national security, Punjab Police’s State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) SAS Nagar has arrested a YouTube influencer for spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav on Wednesday.
The arrested accused, identified as Jasbir Singh, alias Jaan Mahal (41), a resident of Mahlan village 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 Jasbir Singh has been found associated with Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) Shakir, alias Jutt Randhawa, who is part of a terror-backed espionage network.
He also maintained close contact with Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was earlier arrested for spying by Haryana Police, and Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a Pakistani national and expelled Pakistani High Commission official.
The DGP 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 in 2020, 2021 and 2024, and came in direct contact with ISI officers, who subsequently cultivated and recruited him to carry out espionage activities within India, he added.
The DGP said that after Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest, accused Jasbir had attempted to erase all traces of his communications with these PIOs to avoid detection.
Further investigations are underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators, he added.
Sharing operation details, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), posted in SAS Nagar, Dr Ravjot Grewal, said that police teams received reliable inputs that Jasbir Singh was in touch with many Pakistan-based entities, including agents of the ISI and had been providing sensitive information about movement of the Indian Army and other inside activities of the country to the neighbouring nation.
Acting swiftly, police teams launched an intel-based operation and arrested the suspect and recovered his mobile device, AIG Grewal said.
She said that around 150 Pakistani phone numbers have been retrieved from the initial mobile phone forensics of the arrested. These include mobile numbers of ISI agents, Pakistan High Commission officials and other Pakistan-based entities.
In a bid to cover his tracks, the accused had deleted crucial digital evidence, including chats, contact records, and documents exchanged with Pakistani Intelligence handlers from his mobile phone, said the AIG, while adding that technical recovery and forensic examination are underway to retrieve deleted data and information leaked through him.
She said that investigations have revealed that Jasbir used the YouTube channel as a cover to share sensitive information about the Indian Army’s movements and activities with his Pakistani handlers.
The AIG said that accused Jasbir had been introduced to Jyoti Malhotra through Pakistan High Commission officials at an event hosted in 2024. Both Jasbir and Jyoti also visited Pakistan together.
Further investigation is in progress to identify potential accomplices, digital communication trails, and foreign linkages, she added.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered under Sections 152 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act at a police station in SAS Nagar.
(IANS)
