Tension prevailed in Raja Bazaar after a group of four men allegedly thrashed 23-year-old Rahul Kumar, a resident of Choudhary Mohalla, on Friday afternoon.

Following the incident, a large group of policemen, including Rapid Action Force personnel, was rushed to the area to contain the situation and prevent any further possible flare-up.

“The victim works as a decorator and was involved in the decoration of a Durga Puja pandal, when four men surrounded him. We suspect that they had an old score to settle with Raju, so they attacked him. One among them, carrying a large knife, slashed one of Raju’s palms, causing profuse bleeding. The attackers immediately fled the spot,” said Patna city superintendent of police Manavjit Singh Dhillon.

He added that the victim ran back home, with his palm bleeding, and alerted members of his family. Soon after, the matter got out of hand and the tension fanned across the locality.

Police added that the victim was out of any danger and the victim’s family members had filed a complaint on the basis of which an FIR had been lodged against the four persons involved.

“The police have registered a case and the accused would be arrested shortly. The victim has not given his statement to the police. He was admitted to a local hospital for treatment of his wounds. Later, Raju was discharged. The police would record his statement on Friday or Saturday. The deployment of police in the area would continue to maintain law and order,” the officer told The Telegraph.

Shot dead

Motorcycle-borne criminals shot dead the owner of a consumer centre service of State Bank of India, Farman Ansari, in Chhapra on Friday and looted Rs 2.25 lakh from the centre. The incident occurred near Pirpur village. Agitated villagers staged a road blockade for four hours. Police said an FIR has been lodged against unknown persons.