LUCKNOW, April 12 -- : Four men accused of being part of an extortion racket and intimidating traders were arrested with 12 crude bombs near Kisan Path Link Road on Juggar Road in Chinhat on Saturday, police said.

A joint team of Chinhat police station and Surveillance team (East) arrested the accused identified as Gagan Singh alias Udit Narayan Singh (25), Sumit Maurya (19), Aditya Tripathi (19), and Rishabh Thakur (19) who were allegedly threatening local shopkeepers in Chinhat and demanding weekly extortion money, according to a press release issued by the police.

The gang's activities had created panic among traders in the area, officials said. When shopkeepers refused to pay, the accused allegedly hurled country-made bombs to intim...