YouTuber from Punjab linked to Jyoti Malhotra & Pakistani Intelligence arrested

Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested a Punjab-based YouTuber, who maintained close contact with Haryana-based influencer Jyoti Malhotra, having discovered an espionage network linked to him.

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

The police said that Singh was also in close contact with Malhotra, who was earlier arrested by Haryana Police on charges of espionage. The YouTuber also maintained contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani national who was expelled as an official of the Pakistan High Commission.


"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.

"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.


Following the arrest of Malhotra, Singh took steps to eliminate any evidence of his communications with the PIOs in an effort to evade detection, according to Yadav.

An FIR has been filed at the State Special Operation Cell in Mohali.

"Investigations are underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators," he added.

Malhotra, a 33-year-old native of Hisar who operated a YouTube channel called 'Travel with JO', was apprehended last month. On May 13, India expelled Ehsan-ur-Rahim, also known as Danish, who was stationed at the Pakistan High Commission, for allegedly engaging in espionage activities.

This crackdown on spy networks within the country follows the devastating Pahalgam terror attack that resulted in 26 fatalities and a subsequent four-day military conflict with Pakistan.