Chandigarh: A Mohali court on Monday sent YouTuber Jasbir Singh - who was arrested on June 4 last on espionage charge - to 14-day judicial custody.
Singh, 41, was presented before the court after his two-day police remand ended on Monday; earlier he was sent to three-day police remand following which it was extended for two days. He would now be presented before court on June 23.
Singh alias Jaan Mahal, hails from Mahlan village in Punjab’s Ropar district ran a YouTube channel ``JaanMahal Video’’ with over 11 lakh subscribers.
Though he ostensibly posted travel and cooking vlogs, he was allegedly spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and was also a in close touch with Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested by Haryana police who is also in judicial custody on the charges of spying for Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani national and expelled Pak High Commission official.
Police said Jasbir also attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi on Danish’s invitation, where he met Pakistani Army officials and some other vloggers. The accused has also travelled to Pakistan on three occasions including in 2020, 2021 and 2024, and came into direct contact with ISI officers, who subsequently cultivated and recruited him to carry out espionage activities within India, he added.
According to police, Jasbir Singh had been providing sensitive information about movement of Indian Army and other inside activities of the country to Pakistan following which the police teams launched an intel-based operation and arrested him.
Police said that around 150 Pakistan contacts have been retrieved from the initial mobile phone forensics of the arrested; those included mobile numbers of Pakistan ISI agents, Pakistan High commission officials and other Pak based entities.
The police also held that accused Jasbir had got introduced with Jyoti Malhotra through Pakistan embassy officials at an event hosted by Pakistan embassy in 2024. Both Jasbir and Jyoti also visited Pakistan together.
Meanwhile, a Hisar court also extended the judicial remand of Jyoti Malhotra. The next date of hearing in her case is also June 23. It may be recalled that Jyoti Malhotra was among 12 people arrested by Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh police over the past about three weeks on the charges of espionage.
