Traders kept their shops closed in Saharsa town after criminals opened fire and hurled crude bombs on Saturday night.

Gangster Mohammad Gabbar shot at Mohammad Ehsan, a meat seller, on DB Road in the town, about 180km northeast of Patna, around 10pm following a payment dispute. The bullet missed Ehsan but hit 15-year-old bystander Mohammad Faiyaz.

Faiyaz, an eggseller, was rushed to a local hospital. Saharsa town police station house officer Sanjay Kumar Singh said Gabbar's associates hurled bombs at the shopkeepers.

Quoting doctors, Singh said: "Faiyaz suffered a bullet injury in his abdomen. He was operated upon and his condition is stable now."

He added: "Raids are on to arrest the accused, whose identity has been ascertained."

A spate of loots and dacoities in the town has raised questions over policing in the urban areas. Shopkeepers in the area downed shutters on Sunday in protest. "Extortionists are back at their job," said Bachcha Singh, a grocery shop owner. "If the situation doesn't improve, days are not far when criminals would start calling the shots again."

Graft whip

Three government officials in Nawada were suspended on Saturday for allegedly siphoning off funds meant for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students.

A senior official said disciplinary action has been initiated against district welfare officer Dinesh Kumar Pandey, his assistant Shivdani Choudhary and nazir Jitendra Kumar. They have been accused of misappropriating at least Rs 1 crore.