Three motorcycle-borne criminals snatched a little over Rs 8 lakh from a fish trader near New Rampur in Patna City on Sunday.

The incident occurred around 11.30am when Anoj Kumar was returning home from the local Bazaar Samiti (marketing board) with his employee Prem Kumar on his motorcycle. The robbers intercepted him around 200m from his residence and looted the amount at gunpoint.

At first, the robbers threatened the duo with dire consequences when they reportedly tried to resist. The trader informed the Bahadurpur police station about the incident over phone. The robbers had fled the spot by the time the police arrived.

Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj said efforts were on to apprehend the culprits. “The allegations of the victim are being verified. Anoj had a dispute with his brother over some property and the two had an altercation a few days ago,” he added.

The SSP said prima facie the claims of the trader appeared to be doubtful. “An FIR has already been registered on the statement of the victim. Raids have been launched to arrest the suspects,” he said.

Anoj also alleged that the police swung into action late. “It took the police more than half-an-hour to reach the site. Instead of chasing the robbers, they started questioning me providing time for the criminals them to make their escape good,” he added.