The Punjab Police on Thursday said it has arrested two men, armed by foreign-based Khalistani handlers, to carry out targeted killings in the state.

It was part of a nefarious design to radicalise and use Punjabi youths to create a communal divide in the state to further their separatist Khalistani agenda, police added.

Accused Sandeep Singh and Amar Singh were arrested from the Faridkot-Kotkapura highway after their motorcycle collided with a Mahindra Scorpio vehicle.

"The accused have links with terror modules busted in connection with the targeted killings reported in the state," a police spokesman said here on Thursday.

A search on their persons led to the seizure of two .30-bore pistols and 40 rounds, provided by their handlers, he added.

He said that the two were in touch with Australia-based Gurjant Singh, who has been charged by the National Investigation Agency in the October 2017 murder of Ravinder Gosain of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Ludhiana.

"On questioning, the two disclosed that they had been in touch with their handlers through social media and encrypted VoIP calls, and were assigned the task of carrying out killings of targets to be assigned by their handlers.

The terror module was busted by Punjab Police on May 29 last year.

"The link of these two youths with other possible module members and Khalistani operatives is being investigated," the spokesman said.