The recent spate of crime incidents in the city has left residents fearing further deterioration in the law and order situation in the run-up to the Assembly elections.

Late on Wednesday evening, 60-year-old Sanjay Kumar, the owner of a private nursing home, was gunned down right outside the Parsa Bazaar facility. He died in the course of treatment.

On May 23, a middle-aged photographer, Pawan Kumar, was shot dead by a group of people in Phulwarisharif. The man succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.

"Though no arrest has been made in connection with the Parsa Bazaar incident, we suspect the involvement of the deceased's brother because of an ongoing tussle over a plot of land. Investigations are on. In the Phulwarisharif incident, one person has been arrested and the hunt is on for the others," Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jitender Rana told The Telegraph.

In another incident on May 23, some people shot at Prakash Kumar when he tried to resist an alleged eve-teasing attempt in Khajekalan area of Patna City.

The man escaped without any fatal injury and is undergoing treatment in a private hospital. The police are yet to make any arrest in the case till now. On May 21, criminals shot small-time businessman Kundan Choudhary in Pethia Bazaar under Danapur police station area. The man took three bullets but survived and is undergoing treatment. The victim was said to have refused extortion money, which led to the attack.

The same night a private security guard opened fire at the clinic in Kadamkuan after a quarrel over a lost cellphone, injuring a man.

Admitting that homeguards not being on duty for almost a fortnight was affecting policing, the SSP said he had discussed the matter with the superintendents (SPs) of police on Thursday.

"The homeguards are on a strike and hence, the police need to be more alert. The stress is on business establishments such as petrol pumps located in desolate areas. We have decided that one chowkidar would always be in such establishments and the police stations have been asked to patrol the areas regularly. The police need to be alert as the elections and the festivals are approaching. The police are taking necessary steps and today (Thursday), 102 persons were nabbed across different police station areas of the state capital. Two persons were also caught with arms from Phulwarisharif today," said the SSP.

"There is no doubt that criminal incidents have increased in Patna of late. It is strange that the police cannot even control incidents of thefts in Patna. It has become almost impossible to leave the house and go on a vacation," said businessman Arvind Kumar, a resident of Kankerbagh.

Jyoti Kumari, a student, said the will power among the cops seemed missing. "If cops want, they can easily stop the incidents. We will never want to have an unsafe and dangerous Patna again. The police shouldn't let it go down the drain again," she said.