A chartered accountant out to catch an early morning train on Monday was robbed at a prime location in the city that boasts of round-the-clock police presence.

Delhi resident Rohit Raman arrived in Patna with his family - wife and two children - on Sunday afternoon for his in-laws' wedding anniversary party at Gargee Grand. As he had work in Varanasi, he decided to travel there on Monday, leaving his wife and kids in Patna. After being robbed of his cash and laptop and beaten by the criminals near the Dakbungalow roundabout around 4.20 in the morning, he was relieved that at least his family was safe.

"Only God knows what would have happened if my family was with me," said 39-year-old Raman visibly shaken back at a guesthouse in the city where the family moved after the attack. "My in-laws stay in Patna and we had come down for their wedding anniversary. The function was at Gargee Grand and we checked into one of the rooms around 12noon on Sunday after reaching from Delhi on the Vikramshila Express. I had to leave for Varanasi for some official work today (Monday) and my family decided to stay back in Patna. I left the hotel around 4am and took a rickshaw to Patna Junction to catch the Vibhuti Express. It was dark but I could see some people on the streets."

As the rickshaw moved along Dakbungalow road towards Patna Junction, four men appeared on three motorbikes from behind and asked the rickshaw-puller to stop.

"Immediately I sensed trouble but before I could do anything, a truck came close and the bikers had to pull back a little. I immediately got down the rickshaw and ran towards Dakbungalow roundabout," said Rohit, whose origins are in Bhagalpur district but has been living in Delhi for at least six years. "The men followed me and soon surrounded me. One of them hit me on the back of my head with a pistol butt. More blows and abuses rained down. They snatched my laptop bag and my cellphone. One of them asked for my wallet and I had to hand it over. I had Rs 9,800 - they took it and returned the wallet."

Rohit said the incident lasted a matter of minutes and before long, the men zoomed away towards Exhibition Road roundabout. The harassment Rohit had to face has punched holes into police claims of round-the-clock patrolling. To make matters worse, a permanent police check-post at the Dakbungalow roundabout is just 150m away from where Rohit was attacked.

"I stood frozen for a while but returned to Gargee Grand to tell my family. From there, we went to the Gandhi Maidan police station and lodged an FIR," Rohit added.

The city police have been regularly stressing that night-time and early-hours patrolling has improved but the ground situation tells a different story. If Rohit was attacked in the early hours, senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj had exposed slack patrolling on Friday night. He went off with an unattended jeep parked outside the Kotwali police station at 11.30pm, took a two-hour ride and parked it at his office with the personnel none the wiser of their faux pas - the station house officer launched a search for the vehicle only after Maharaaj informed him.

While Rohit is visibly shaken by the incident, the police claim the people involved will be arrested soon. "There are CCTV cameras installed along the road and the footage from there have helped us," said Nikhil Kumar, the Gandhi Maidan police station house officer. "The case is under investigation and at this moment, other details cannot be shared. We are confident that the case will be solved."

Residents are, however, aghast at the lax policing. "The police always talk big but if something like this happened at a prime Patna location, it is worrisome for the people," said Boring Road resident A.K. Singh. "How can the police claim things are perfect in Patna when such incidents are taking place?"