Bhikna Pahari, the hostel hub of Patna, is becoming extremely vulnerable for youths.

Most students coming from outside the capital choose Bhikna Pahari for cheap lodging. Several private hostels have mushroomed in the 5-km radius. However, over the years, the area that falls under the jurisdiction of the Kadamkuan police station has turned into a criminals’ den.

Two back-to-back incidents of youths being shot dead in the area have rocked the city recently.

On Thursday around 9.30pm, a 23-year-old youth was shot dead by unidentified men near Premchand roundabout under the jurisdiction of Kadamkuan police station.

The deceased, identified as Dina Prasad, used to live in a lodge at Mahendru falling in the Bhikna Pahari belt. Hailing from Madhepura, Prasad used to impart tuitions and prepared for competitive examinations. He was shot dead from behind when he was returning to his lodge on a motorcycle.

In a similar incident, a Patna College topper was shot dead on Sardar Patel Hostel premises on March 11. The hostel, too, falls in the Bhikna Pahari area. A gang of seven persons sprayed bullets from the rooftops of nearby houses in what is claimed by the police a “revengeful act”. The victim, Rajesh Kumar, had nothing to do with the criminals but was caught in the fire.

Station house officer (SHO) of Kadamkuan police station Sanjay Kumar said the recent attack on the youth could have been a result of his tainted past.

“It is possible that Prasad was involved in illegal activities. There has not been any breakthrough in the case. He was not a student of any college or educational institution. Prasad had married five years back but he was fighting a divorce case for the past eight months. This angle, too, is being probed. A family rivalry could be another reason for the murder,” the SHO said.

He added: “There have been instances when a student was killed and later we found that the victim was involved in fake examination racket. Since the examination season is on, a similar angle cannot be ruled out in the Prasad murder case too.” Sources said the police have found numbers of several criminals from the cellphone log of Prasad.

On April 6, 2012, a similar incident had struck the city.

Premanand (26), a student taking private coaching classes, was shot dead by unidentified men at Rupaspur Mussahari area.

The victim was shot dead, while he was on his way back on a motorcycle to his lodge in Danapur after attending a coaching class.