Raiganj, Sept. 2: Deciding that they had suffered enough, residents of Bogram set fire to the house of a man said to be a notorious extortionist of the area.

They thrashed Bajrang Ram Kanu, his parents and four brothers last evening.

Trouble erupted when Kanu cornered two local traders and beat them up after they allegedly failed to pay him “protection money”. Hearing the cries of the traders, residents of the area rushed to the spot.

Kanu, also known as Dipak, was a known criminal who had been arrested earlier.

Matters came to a head when police arrived to defuse the situation. They were attacked by the angry mob. Even as fire engulfed Kanu’s house, four policemen were injured trying to confront the residents. Six persons in the crowd were injured.

A police picket and personnel of the Rapid Action Force have been posted in the area.

“Yesterday, Samir Ghosh and his brother Nitu Ghosh were forcibly taken away by Kanu. As word spread, more than 800 people surrounded his house,” said Nishkanta Barman, a resident.

Barman said when the crowd reached the house, Kanu and his brothers were beating up the traders. “When we protested, they threatened us. It was then that we launched the counter-attack.”