Punjab YouTuber held in widening spy ring linked to expelled Pak diplomat, army handlers

In a significant development in the ongoing crackdown on a Pakistan-backed espionage network, Punjab police on June 3 arrested Jasbir Singh, a YouTuber based in Rupnagar, for his alleged involvement in a cross-border spy ring with suspected links to Pakistan’s military establishment.

Singh, who runs the YouTube channel Jaan Mahal and resides in Mahlan village, was apprehended by the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) in Mohali. His arrest follows the detention of Haryana-based vlogger Jyoti Malhotra—also facing espionage charges—and marks another key link in the expanding surveillance network operated with alleged backing from Pakistani intelligence agencies.

According to police sources, Singh was in direct contact with Shakir alias Jutt Randhawa, a Pakistani intelligence operative embedded in a terror-linked espionage network. He also allegedly maintained a close relationship with Malhotra, who was arrested for sharing sensitive information, and Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish — an expelled Pakistani High Commission official accused of recruiting Indian assets.

Police say Singh had traveled to Pakistan three times—in 2020, 2021, and as recently as 2024—under the pretext of cultural visits, but investigators believe the trips were used to establish covert links with handlers. Forensic analysis of his digital devices has reportedly uncovered several Pakistan-based contacts now under investigation.

One of the most alarming revelations, officials said, was Singh’s participation in the Pakistan National Day event in New Delhi on Danish’s personal invite. There, he is believed to have interacted with serving Pakistani Army officers and social media influencers reportedly working in tandem with intelligence agencies.

After Malhotra’s arrest, Singh allegedly tried to wipe clean his communication trail with foreign handlers, which further aroused suspicion.

A formal FIR has been registered by the SSOC in Mohali, and authorities say they are pursuing leads to identify other operatives and dismantle what appears to be a deeply embedded espionage-terror nexus leveraging digital platforms and civilian influencers.

Malhotra, who operated a YouTube travel vlog titled Travel with Jo, was arrested earlier for allegedly passing sensitive information to Danish. She too had visited Pakistan multiple times.

Officials say the case reflects a disturbing shift in tactics — where intelligence operatives recruit online content creators and influencers as covert assets—posing new challenges to national security.