Cuttack, Oct. 24: Criminals killed the owner of a liquor shop at Madhupur last night while he was on his way home.

Govind Swain, 42, had suffered serious head and stomach injuries after the criminals attacked him around 11.30pm. The goons also robbed him of around Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, which he was carrying.

Sources said the goons had attacked Swain with the intention of robbery. However, police said the possibility of Swain having been attacked because of a past rivalry could not be ruled out. A clash between two groups had taken place in the area during the Khudurkuni Puja immersion.

"We have detained three suspects and further investigation is on," said inspector in charge of Baranga police station Sanjay Patnaik.

A villager said Swain, after closing his shop last night, had attended a feast with a few people from his locality. Later, his body was found on the road with injuries. His scooter had also been left damaged near the spot.

One platoon of police has been deployed in the area. "Last year, there had been several attacks on the liquor traders in Bhubaneswar, and the fresh attack is certainly a cause for worry," said Pradip Patnaik, a liquor trader in Cuttack. The police said that at least five incidents of loot and attack on liquor shop owners had taken place in Bhubaneswar in 2014.

Liquor traders claim that minor incidents of clash have been occurring near many off shops due to lack of police patrolling at night. Many shop owners have installed CCTV cameras following police direction, but now, they are demanding patrolling till their shops are closed every night.