Bullets were fired and bombs hurled at Bondel Gate as two groups of construction material suppliers clashed around Sunday midnight in another instance of open fight for the spoils of the syndicate business flourishing in the city.

A man was injured when a bullet fired by his rivals grazed his right hand.

Residents of the area heard six gunshots and 10 explosions. Police found two empty cartridges and five crude bombs on the spot.

The groups - comprising supporters of Trinamul - clashed under the Bondel Gate flyover, barely a kilometre from Ballygunge Phari.

Around 11.55pm, Bobby Singh, who supplies construction materials to realtors and is known as a Trinamul supporter, was chatting with his aides when rivals Pappu and Ram arrived on a motorcycle. "The area is known as Bobby's territory," said an officer of Gariahat police station where Bobby has lodged a complaint.

Pappu and Ram had an argument with Bobby over the supply of building materials. "The two left only to return with a group of 10-12 people," the officer said.

A resident of the area said he was about to go to bed when he heard an explosion followed by another. "I did not dare to venture out on the balcony to see what was happening.... I alerted the police."

The group first hurled bombs targeting Bobby and his associates. "Bobby and his men took refuge behind buildings and retaliated with stones," another officer said. "For half an hour the group kept hurling bombs."

After receiving frantic calls from residents, two cops reached the area on a motorcycle. "But the attackers did not spare our men. They hurled bombs at them. The two left and sent us an SOS," the officer said.

As soon as the two cops left, Bobby tried to flee with his men. But his attackers spotted him and opened fire. "He had a narrow escape as a bullet grazed his hand. He was treated at a local health care unit."

Around the same time, the Lalbazar control room alerted Gariahat, Kasba, Tiljala and Karaya police stations asking cops to rush to the spot. A contingent of 50 policemen chased the attackers and arrested Suraj Shaw, Surajit Banerjee, Sheikh Anwar Ali and Shankar Poddar.

Gunfights and hurling bombs on the streets have become common in the city over the past three years. In September, there were three such incidents. A 10-year-old boy sustained a bullet wound in his leg after getting caught in a fight between two syndicates in Entally. Two days later, Rajesh Mondal suffered a bullet wound in his right knee while trying to help a man in his Garia neighbourhood whom syndicate rivals were thrashing.

Later in the month, Suman Das, in his mid-20s, had a narrow escape in Sonarpur as a bullet grazed his left arm after his business rivals opened fire.

Murder suspect held

Mohammad Shahid, alias Mister, has been arrested in Maharashtra's Solapur in connection with a murder in Park Circus a week ago. Police said Mister and brother Master had shot dead construction material supplier Bijoy Roy, alias Kochi, in Masjid Bari Lane near the Park Circus seven-point crossing on October 26.

"Mister, a resident of Jorasanko, had taken shelter in a wholesale fruit market in Solapur district. A team from the detective department of the city police nabbed him on Monday," an officer at Lalbazar said. Police suspect business rivalry was the cause of the murder.

The brothers, involved in construction material supply, allegedly had a fight with Kochi at a Bypass bar on the evening of October 26. Later, they apparently followed Kochi on a motorbike to Masjid Bari Lane and shot him.