A 70-year-old man died early yesterday after he was beaten by his neighbour following a feud over a trifling matter in the capital's Adabor on Monday night.

In another incident, a man was shot dead allegedly by his rivals following a dispute over controlling illegal electricity and waler supply business at Mohakhali Beltala slum in the capital yesterday afternoon.

Family sources and police said, a caretaker from a next-door neighbour's house hit Ratan Bepari, 70, a fish vendor, on the head with a wooden log around 9:00pm Monday.

He was declared dead after he was brought to a hospital around 12:30am yesterday.

Rozina, the daughter of the deceased, said the family were conversing with him on a footpath after Iftar on Monday evening.

Suddenly a minor girl from their adjacent building came to the spot, pulled their father's hair and ran away to her house, she said.

Soon Md Liton, the caretaker of the house, and the family members of Ratan Bepari got locked into a brawl over the incident. At

one stage, Liton hit Ratan on the head with a wooden log that made him unconscious, sheadded.

Rashid Talukder, officerin-charge of Adabor Police Station, said police had arrested Liton's nephew Abu, who had taken part in the clash, and detained his wife Rina Begum.

Liton, however, managed to escape arrest, he added.

In the other incident at Mohakhali Beltala slum, Bashir Miah, 35, was shot dead allegedly by his rivals following a dispute over controlling illegal electricity and water supply business.

According to the residents of the slum, Bashir used to collect money from the slum dwellers by illegally supplying them with water and electricity.

Bashir had escaped another attempt on his life when local "extortionists" opened fire on him at his residence in Mohakhali on February 14 this year. His son Nishat, 8, also received three bullets in the legs but survived.

Witnesses said two youths riding a motorbike came to the slum around 4:00pm yesterday. One of the bikers opened fire on Bashir while he was talking to a boy in front of a rice trader's shop. The criminals left the scene on their bike.

Locals rushed Bashir to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared him dead.

Bashir had seven bullets in different parts of his body, DMCH sources said.

Sources at the slum said Bashir used to claim himself to be a BNP worker and had been overseeing the supply business since the last BNP rule.

After the political change-over, criminal in the locality was trying to take control of Bashir's business, which might have triggered a feud between the two and ultimately led him to death, sources added.

Aminul Bashar, sub-inspector of Banani Police Station, told this correspondent that the police were investigating the incident.