Jasbir Singh, a Punjab-based YouTuber who runs the ‘Jaan Mahal’ channel, has been arrested for his alleged links with several Pakistani handlers connected to an espionage network. His arrest follows the arrest of another YouTuber, Jyoti Malhotra, who was taken into custody last month on similar charges.

YouTuber channel Jaan Mahal

Jasbir Singh Mahal is a resident of village Mahlan in Rupnagar a city in Punjab. He runs a YouTube channel named Jaan Mahal, which has now been found to be associated with people part of a terror-backed espionage network. Born in Punjab, Singh makes daily vlogs on travelling and his daily life. According to the bio of his YouTube channel, he aims to give meaningful information to the viewers about Punjab and its culture. He started the YouTube channel in 2008 and till now has posted 2,985 videos with 1.1M subscribers. Among the videos on his channel are his visits to the Maldives, Singapore, Malaysia and Jammu and Kashmir.

Espionage links

Based on actionable intelligence, State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Mohali found Jasbir Singh to be associated with PIO Shakir alias Jutt Randhawa, who is a part of a terror-backed espionage network. 

Along with this, it was also found that he maintained close contact with Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested earlier for spying. He was also in contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani national and expelled Pakistan High Commission official.

Also read: Punjab YouTuber Jasbir Singh arrested over ‘spying’ for Pakistan, has links with Jyoti Malhotra

Trips to Pakistan

Investigations revealed that Jasbir attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi on Danish’s invitation in New Delhi. He also met Pakistani Army officials and vloggers. Also, according to the police, he travelled to Pakistan in 2020,2021 and 2024. 

On his YouTube channel, he has posted a video of visiting Pakistan on multiple occasions. The latest video of Pakistan was published in April 2024, where he visited the Nankana Sahib and explored Lahore. Further, according to police, his electronic device contained contacts of multiple Pakistan-based numbers.

Connection with Jyoti Malhotra

Jyoti Malhotra, another YouTuber, was arrested under espionage charges on May 16 and was booked under sections of the Official Secrets Act and Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. She ran a channel named ‘Travel with Jo’ and was also in contact with Danish. According to the police, Singh kept in contact with Jyoti Malhotra and attempted to erase all his communications after her arrest.

Probe underway

In the Jasbir case, the Punjab Police’s special cell has launched an investigation into the matter based on an actionable intelligence they received.