Patna: Armed criminals shot dead a police constable outside the Hajipur court premises in Vaishali district on Tuesday and escaped with a juvenile undertrial facing charges of loot and robbery.

The brazen attack occurred around 8.30am when the juvenile was being taken to the Juvenile Justice Board in Hajipur, around 20km north of Patna, from the court hazaat (lock-up) by constable Ram Iqbal Ravidas, who was unarmed.

The gunmen, who were waiting outside the building housing the office of the Juvenile Justice Board, pumped three bullets into Ravidas and escaped with the juvenile.

As the constable fell on the stairs of the Juvenile Justice Board building, there was panic in the crowded locality barely 200 metres from the court. Shopkeepers and traders downed shutters in fear.

The constable was rushed to Hajipur sadar hospital, where he died during treatment.

Vaishali civil court district judge A.K. Jain visited the spot and inquired about the incident. Vaishali superintendent of police (SP) Rakesh Kumar, who visited the site later, said the 55-year-old constable was alone at the time of the attack.

The juvenile undertrial was facing charges of serious offences. "At least five cases were pending against him in Vaishali district alone. His antecedents in neighbour districts were also being verified," SP Rakesh said, adding that raids were underway to nab the criminals involved in the daylight murder of the constable.

The police later obtained video clips from the CCTV cameras installed in the building located on Kutchery Road.

The SP admitted the lapses on the part of the constable. "Had there been any armed constable, the delinquent would not have escaped from judicial custody," he said. The SP, however, denied of any disciplinary action against other constables deputed on the court premises for negligence of duty.

Hajipur town police station house officer (SHO) Sunil Kumar said Ravidas's body was handed to his relatives after post-mortem. He was a resident of Dhanarua in Patna district. The daylight murder of the constable has left senior officers at the state police headquarters red-faced.

At least five incidents of attack on policemen to free undertrial prisoners have been reported in the state in the past two years. Earlier, in January 2015, a constable and a woman were killed when a group of criminals hurled bombs to facilitate the escape of their associate from in the Ara district civil court in January 2015.

Businessman shot at

A gang of armed criminals shot at and critically injured a businessman, Mohan Pandey, and looted Rs 90,000 cash from him in Bhojpur, around 54km west of Patna, on Tuesday.

Pandey, who is in his 40s, was attacked by motorbike-borne assailants when he was going to the customer service centre of the State Bank of India after collecting cash from customers.