A top cadre of outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-ML) Lal Pataka faction and two local journalists were arrested in Chuadanga and Meherpur early yesterday.

The Lal Pataka activist was identified as Suja Uddin alias Joy Babu, 28, son of Israil Hossain of Laxmipur village under Damurhuda upazila in the district.

He was bullet hit in the leg as he had attempted to shoot at the law enforcers.

Police said a team led by Ahsan Habib, officer-in-charge of Damurhuda Police Station, challenged Suja on suspicion while he was roaming the street near his house at Laxmipur around 3:00am. They tried to stop him when the man started running.

At one stage, the outlaw pulled a gun on police prompting them to fire back and two bullets pierced his left leg, police said.

Police arrested Suja wounded and recovered one Shutter gun and two bullets from his possession. He is now undergoing treatment at Chuadanga Sadar Hospital.

According to police, Suja using the name, Joy Babu, had been demanding extortion from people in Chuadanga and Meherpur for last several months.

On his confession, police picked up Atiar Rahman Atiq of Chuadanga and Mohsin Ali of Meherpur from their residences. Both are local correspondents of Chuadanga based daily Mathabhanga.

Police quoted the Lal Pataka cadre as saying that the journalists were helping him collect toll in their areas and sharing the booty with him.