A trader was killed and six others injured when three masked men on a motorcycle went on a shooting spree at four separate places in Bulandshahr on Tuesday night. Police believe the shootouts, which happened within 30 minutes, were orchestrated by jailed gangster Devraj to extort money from local traders.

Police said Devraj’s crony Jeetendra planned the crime after his release from jail last week. Bulandshahr SSP Sujit Pandey said five persons had been detained with country-made pistols today.

“My nephew K K Sharma, a cable operator, had got a letter from Jeetendra and Devraj asking for Rs 1 lakh as protection money. The letter was given to the police, but nothing happened,” said Raj Nishwas. On Tuesday, Sharma’s shop in Krishnanagar was the first target. The attackers sprayed bullets at his son Bhanu Sharma and an 18-year-old customer, seriously injuring both of them.

Ten minutes later, another shootout was reported from Devipura, where three other traders were shot by the motorcyclists. One of them, Gopal Kumar, succumbed to injuries at the district hospital. Around 10 pm, two more incidents were reported in Laxminagar. After shooting at trader Amit Garg, they fired shots outside a book shop at the Ansari road intersection injuring a person.

Irate traders then gheroed the local police station and nearly lynched Station House Officer Rakesh Pandey before he was rescued by other policemen. Inspector Pandey has now been suspended for negligence and inadequate police patrolling.