Satna (Madhya Pradesh): A band of local goons set on fire the houses and shops of two traders in Usraha village under the Singhpur police station in the early hours of Monday.

The fire destroyed properties worth lakhs of rupees. The incident came to light after the trader lodged a complaint at the Singhpur police station. According to reports, the trader’s refusal to give groceries on credit led to the attack.

Shop owner Karun Kushwaha, a resident of Ushraha village, had a dispute with some goons from Sham Bhajikhera village at his shop. They then set afire the shops and houses of Kushwaha and another trader, Kandhilal Verma.

Kushwana and Verma accused three persons, Namo Singh Baghel, Om Singh Baghel and Prabal Singh Baghel, of setting their shops and houses afire. The traders said the goons had also threatened them with dire consequences. The police are searching for the criminals.

Two held, stolen jewellery mobile phones recovered

In an another incident, the Satna railway police claimed to have arrested two persons who stole ornaments and mobile phones from the passengers of the Navtanwa Express.

The police also recovered stolen goods worth Rs 2.85 lakh from the possession of the thieves.

A complainant, Haleemuddin, a resident of Prayagraj in UP, said that he was travelling by Navtanwa Express on April 6. Some unidentified criminals stole his mobile phone and ornaments worth Rs 80,000. Another complainant, Sanjay Gupta, a resident of Pratapgarh, UP, said he was going to Raipur.

Some people stole jewellery worth Rs 74,000. The police set up a special team to investigate the incidents. The arrested thieves identified themselves as Sheshmani Verma and Shivam Soni. They confessed to having committed the crime, the police said.