Punjab: Espionage case: YouTuber Jasbir's female friend grilled, was receiving funds from him, say cops
The woman friend whose name had surfaced during the interrogation of espionage accused YouTuber Jasbir Singh, 41, was questioned for hours at the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) on Sunday.
As per sources, the woman, 32, from Jalandhar, has revealed that Jasbir had taken her to Delhi three to four times and she had even accompanied him to the invitation-only Pakistan Day event, hosted by the embassy. She said Jasbir had taken her along, despite not having an official invitation, as he had close ties with a man named Danish. Notably, India had expelled Pakistani diplomat Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, last month for espionage activities.
Was receiving funds from Jasbir
As per information, police have started examining the woman's phone and social media accounts. Preliminary findings suggest that Jasbir had been providing her financial support for some time. Authorities are now investigating why the funds were provided and at whose behest.
Jasbir's phone records show links with 150 Pak officials
Meanwhile, forensic teams found three to four suspicious applications in Jasbir's laptop. The accused, who runs a YouTube channel called 'Jaan Mahal' and has 1.1 million subscribers, had allegedly deleted several apps following the arrest of influencer Jyoti Malhotra last month. The forensic team is now working to recover this data, which, SSOC officials believe, could lead to significant breakthroughs.
As per sources, 150 Pakistani contact numbers were found on Jasbir's phone, mostly belonging to ISI and Pakistani Army officers with whom he frequently communicated. Interrogation revealed that these contacts instructed Jasbir to post positive videos about Pakistan and promote Pakistani content widely.
Jasbir was also urged to engage Indian youth through his content. Sources revealed that Danish, in particular, sought to involve more young women in these efforts. Investigators have also learned that Pakistan's intelligence operations are increasingly focused on targeting Indian youth.
Jasbir was also allegedly in touch with Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) Shakir alias Jutt Randhawa, a member of a terror-backed espionage network, besides Jyoti Malhotra, who remains in custody.
On Saturday, a Mohali court extended Jasbir's police remand by two more days. He was arrested on June 4 on espionage charges.
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