Birgunj, October 16:

A businessman, Anil Baranwal, was critically injured when an armed gang fired at him this evening. Another person was injured when another group that came to loot a stationery shop hurled a bomb at Maisthan.

Barnawal was attacked by four armed looters at his shop on the main road in Birgunj, said SP at the district police office (Parsa), Ramesh Phuyal, adding that the looters fled with Rs 1 lakh from Baranwal’s shop.

Jata Shankar Yadav was injured when armed looters hurled a bomb at Mahesh Stationery Shop in Maisthan, said police.

Police arrested five persons who tried to snatch Rs 20,000 from Kamakhya Traders, a shop belonging to Arun Kumar Jain at Adarshanagar of Birgunj-13, said police.

A special task force of the police arrested them from Parwanipur of Bara.

Shree Ram Mehata, Bhagawan Prasad Kurmi, Gulzar Akhtar, Manoj Prasad and Bhaju Patel who claimed to be an ANNISU-R member were nabbed. The police also seized a fake pistol from them.

Five minutes after the incident, two of the four armed robbers who had come to loot Baranwal’s shop were seized by locals. One of those captured turned out to be a police constable Suresh Yadav. Two managed to flee, said police. Baranwal who sustained a bullet injury in the head is being treated at Narayani Sub-zonal Hospital here.

The dacoits went on a looting spree under cover of darkness as there was no electricity in the market, said SP Phuyal.

Chairperson of the Birgunj FNCCI, Bijaya Sarawgi, condemning the attacks on businessmen said the police administration was not able to provide security in the city.