Chandigarh:

The NIA has arrested a key member of a gang allegedly involved in recruiting radical Sikh youths for the outlawed SFS group on directions from foreign handlers to create unrest in the country, an official said on Tuesday.

Pargat Singh, 23, a resident of Punjab’s Sri Muktsar Sahib, was arrested on Sunday and produced before a special NIA court in Mohali on Monday which remanded him to NIA custody until June 29, he said.

Singh is one of the key conspirators and recruiter of radical Sikh youths while working under the directions of handlers located abroad to further the activities of SFJ (Sikhs For Justice), which has been declared an unlawful association under the provisions of UA(P) Act, the official said.

The case was registered at the Sultanwind police station in Amritsar (City) in 2018 under sections of the IPC. During investigation, sections of the UA(P) Act and the Arms Act were added, the official said.

Punjab Police filed a charge sheet against 11 arrested accused in March 2019, he said.

The case was subsequently re-registered by the NIA on April 5 this year and taken over for investigation, the official of the premier investigation agency said.

The case is related to a series of acts of violence, including arson, in Punjab during 2017-18, carrying out of propaganda activities both online and on the ground, and campaigns in support of SFJ, he said.