A team of the state excise department was detained by a group of tribal people in Malda on Thursday during a purported raid on houses in search of hooch.

Malda police rushed to Railapara village in Jatradanga panchayat and rescued the team members.

“We have been celebrating Badna Parab (a tribal festival) for a week. It is a custom to prepare liquor at home and serve it to the guests during the festival. But the excise team entered the houses of some of us without any warning. They wasted the liquor, assaulted some of them and also demanded money. We detained them as they humiliated us for no reason,” said a tribal woman of the village.

The police spoke to the agitated tribals and managed to rescue the excise team after two hours.

Pradeep Kumar Yadav, the district police chief, said an altercation had ensued between the excise team and some residents during the raid.

“We promptly intervened. All were asked to maintain peace. The villagers were told that if they filed a formal complaint with us, we would take appropriate steps,” he said.

Cash looted

Sujit Kumar Roy, a trader who sells cellphones, was robbed of Rs 1.92 lakh in Malda on Wednesday night.

Roy, who is in his early forties and has his shop in the Sarbamangalapally area of the town, was returning home in Mangalbari when the incident happened.

“I closed the shop around 11pm and then had food in a local hotel with one of my friends. As we started for home, four criminals attacked us. They were carrying firearms and assaulted both of us. When private security guards of a jewellery shop from the other side of the road rushed to help us, the robbers fled, snatching away my bag that had cash,” said Roy.

Both were taken to Malda Medical College and Hospital and provided with treatment. Later, he filed a complaint at Englishbazar police station.

Police have checked the CCTV footage of the locality to identify the attackers, said a source.