Howrah businessman Prahlad Gupta was shot at because he had refused to pay “protections money” to local goons.

This was revealed by Alam Khan, Rahul Mullick, Mrityunjay Panday and Rakesh Sau, who were arrested following raids in Bally, Ghusuri and Liluah on Monday night.

The gang of four had allegedly shot at Gupta, 40, in the chest and walked away before several onlookers on August 22. The incident took place on Aurobindo Road, in Salkia, a few yards from the beauty parlour Gupta runs.

The businessman is recovering at Medical College and Hospital.

A one-shotter, a motorcycle and a cellphone were seized from them. Niraj Kumar Singh, the superintendent of police (Howrah), said: “The four were wanted in several cases of murder, extortion and snatching.”

Khan reportedly told police that the gang used to take Rs 5,000 as “protection money” from Gupta every month. On August 22, Gupta refused to pay the money, after which the gang shot at him.

The sleuths had all along suspected that Gupta, who owns another parlour near Don Bosco School, Liluah, knew the criminals, as he talked to them for half an hour before being shot at.

The police said Rahul was also involved in a twin murder in Golabari early this year, a robbery in Bhadreswar (Hooghly) and the snatching of a motorcycle on the approach to Vidyasagar Setu.

The SIM card of the cellphone that was seized from the gang was issued in the name of Mahesh Munda, whose two-wheeler Rahul had snatched on the Setu approach.