Four days after a pro-Khalistan poster was found pasted on the wall of the Kali Mata temple in Patiala, the Punjab Police on Tuesday cracked the case with the arrest of two people linked to the proscribed Sikhs for Justice.

Patiala Range Inspector General of Police M S Chhina and Senior Superintendent of Police Deepak Pareek said a poster of the SFJ related to the Khalistan referendum was seen pasted on the back wall of the temple on the night intervening July 14 and 15.

Those arrested have been identified as Harwinder Singh, alias Prince, a native of Salempur Sekhan village in Shambu and currently residing in Rajpura; and Prem Singh, alias Prem, of Salempur Sekhan village in Shambu, said Chhina.

Police have also recovered 13 posters of the SFJ, two mobile phones and a bike used for committing the offence.

The pro-Khalistan group The Sikhs for Justice was earlier banned by the Centre for its alleged anti-national activities.

Chhina and SSP Pareek said in Patiala that the entire investigation of this case was monitored by the director general of police (DGP) and various teams were formed to investigate the case.

The IG said thorough technical investigations revealed that the poster was pasted by the Harwinder and Prem after some foreign-based anti-national elements lured them to perform such acts in lieu of money or through the offer of settling them abroad.

The SSP said Harwinder Singh worked in Malaysia for over two years, where he came in contact with some anti-national elements and after coming back from Malaysia he was still in contact with these persons through WhatsApp.

"One of the persons abroad contacted Harwinder Singh and tasked him with pasting these posters at various places in Punjab," he said, adding that the foreign handlers sent him the money through money transfer.

The posters were placed at a predetermined location, and were picked by the accused from that location, SSP Pareek said, adding that after receiving the posters and the money, the accused pasted the posters at four places, including the Cantonment area in Ambala, Aryan College in Rajpura, the Kali Mata Temple in Patiala and on a traffic sign board near Sheetla Mata Temple, Bahadurgarh in Patiala.

Moreover, the accused had also written pro-Khalistan slogans using spray paint on an under bridge in Rajpura, he added, as per a police statement here.

The SSP said the accused were constantly in touch with anti-national elements sitting abroad, who were guiding them about their further targets.

"The accused had also planned to paste these posters at or near the sites of Independence Day programmes and other prominent places, including the DC office, Mohali, and some other government buildings in Chandigarh, Kasauli and Solan," he said.

Meanwhile, a FIR had been registered under relevant provisions of the IPC and under the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act at the Kotwali police station in Patiala.