The Haryana police on Sunday arrested a close associate of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Sirsa on the charge that he castrated several followers of the religious sect, The Times of India reported.

Mahinder Pal Singh, a qualified surgeon, was arrested by the Special Investigation Team of the Haryana Police looking into the violence that followed Ram Rahim Singh’s conviction for rape in August. He is accused of castrating at least 300 followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, according to India Today.

MP Singh was among the seven people booked after the violence on August 25, but had been absconding since then. He might give crucial information to apprehend Aditya Insan, another accused who has a Rs 2-lakh reward for his arrest, Assistant Commissioner of Police Mukesh Malhotra, who is heading the Special Investigation Team, said.

“We are hopeful of getting crucial details about the whereabouts of Aditya Insan and two other accused in the case,” Malhotra was quoted as saying. “He will be produced in court on Monday. His role in other cases is subject to verification.”

On August 28, a special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation in Panchkula had sentenced Ram Rahim to 20 years in jail for sexually assaulting the two female followers. At least 41 people died in the violence that had followed his conviction in the rape cases three days earlier.