YouTuber caught; Punjab Police link to Pakistan officials

Chandigarh

Punjab Police’s State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) in SAS Nagar made a major breakthrough in fighting espionage by arresting a popular YouTube influencer accused of spying for Pakistan’s ISI, said Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav on Wednesday.

The accused, Jasbir Singh (41), also known as Jaan Mahal, lives in Mahlan village, Rupnagar. He runs a YouTube channel called ‘JaanMahal Video’ with over 11 lakh subscribers, mainly sharing travel and cooking videos.

Investigations revealed Jasbir’s links with Pakistani Intelligence Operative Shakir (alias Jutt Randhawa), who is part of a terror-backed espionage network. He also stayed in contact with Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, earlier arrested for spying, and a Pakistani national, Ehsan-ur-Rahim (alias Danish), who was expelled from the Pakistani High Commission.

Jasbir attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi, met Pakistani army officials and vloggers, and visited Pakistan thrice (2020, 2021, 2024). He was recruited by ISI officers to spy within India.

After Jyoti’s arrest, Jasbir tried to delete all digital evidence of his communication with Pakistani handlers. Police recovered his mobile phone and found nearly 150 Pakistani contacts, including ISI agents and officials.

The YouTube channel was used as a cover to pass sensitive Indian Army information to Pakistan. Jasbir and Jyoti had met through Pakistani officials and also traveled to Pakistan together.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Official Secrets Act. Investigations are ongoing to uncover more collaborators and foreign links.