Chandigarh, June 9 -- A Mohali court on Monday sent Punjab-based YouTuber Jasbir Singh arrested on espionage charges to judicial custody.
Singh was produced before the court after the completion of this two-day police remand.
Post his arrest on June 4, he was sent to three days of police remand following which it was extended for two days.
Singh's counsel Mohit Dhupar said he will be produced in court again on June 23.
Jasbir Singh alias Jaan Mahal (41), who hails from Mahlan Village in Rupnagar District, was running a YouTube channel "JaanMahal Video" with over 11 lakh subscribers, ostensibly posting travel and cooking vlogs.
He was alleged to be in close touch with Haryana-based influencer Jyoti Malhotra, who is in judicial custody on charges of spying for Pakistan.
Singh's family, however, maintained he was innocent and claimed he was arrested despite cooperating with the police for over 10 days.
On June 7, the YouTuber's counsel said Punjab Police summoned his client between May 17 and May 30.
After Singh's arrest, Punjab Police claimed that it unearthed a "terror-backed espionage network" linking him to Pakistani intelligence and army officials.
Police said that the YouTuber was allegedly spying for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.
Singh was found to be associated with a Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO), was in contact with a Pakistan High Commission official who was last month expelled from New Delhi on charges of spying and had met Pakistan Army officials during one of his three visits to the neighbouring country, police said previously.
After Malhotra's arrest, accused Singh reportedly attempted to erase all traces of his communications with these PIOs to avoid detection.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.