Punjab-Based YouTuber Who Was In Contact With Influencer Jyoti Malhotra Held

A Punjab-based YouTuber who maintained close contact with Haryana-based influencer Jyoti Malhotra has been arrested, with police on Wednesday saying it has unearthed an espionage network linked to him.

Jasbir Singh, a resident of Village Mahlan in Rupnagar district, who operates a YouTube channel 'Jaan Mahal', was found to be associated with a Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO), Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said.

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He was also in close contact with Malhotra who was earlier arrested by Haryana Police on charges of espionage.

"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," he 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.

The 33-year-old Hisar native Malhotra, 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.

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.