A taxi driver poured petrol on a stove at a roadside tea stall on Narkeldanga Main Road early on Friday over a dispute, leaving the tea stall owner with severe burns, police said.

The driver, Sujit Yadav, 33, was arrested later in the day from his home in Duttabad on the charge of attempt to murder.

The tea stall owner, Vinod Yadav, has been admitted to SSKM Hospital’s burn ward.

Preliminary investigation has suggested the taxi driver was angry with the tea stall owner for failing to share with him the addresses of two of his clients who apparently picked a fight with the driver at the tea stall, the police said.

The two were later identified as Saheb Yadav and Arjun Yadav. All three were at the stall to have tea around 5am when they got into a fight over shares from a profit they had made, an officer of Phoolbagan police station said.

“The two fled the spot after the fight. The driver got to know they and the tea stall owner were from the same village. He wanted to confront the two and he kept asking the owner for their addresses,” the officer said.

When Vinod Yadav failed to give him their addresses, the driver lost his cool and fetched a can of petrol from his taxi, which he had parked nearby, the officer said.

Before anyone could react, he apparently emptied the can on the stove, on which Vinod Yadav was preparing tea for customers, the police have found after speaking to people who were present at the stall at that time.

“As soon as he poured the petrol, a huge flame leapt up and burned the tea stall owner’s hands, chest and shoulders. He was admitted to the burn ward of SSKM. The taxi driver fled the spot,” the officer said.

Cops will question the taxi driver to find the exact cause of dispute between him and the other two, another officer said.

“It could be that they are party to some other offence and hence the dispute over the share of money. We will question Saheb Yadav and Arjun Yadav, too, in connection with the case,” the officer said.

Lizard trade cuffs on four

Four men were arrested on Thursday in connection with an illegal deal involving a rare species of lizard.

Two men had taken money for the delivery of the lizard but failed to do so, police said. The buyer and one of his associates kept the two locked in a house to recover the money.

Cops got to know of the matter after both parties filed complaints with Lake police station, the police said.