Six criminals looted Rs 3.5 lakh from a petrol pump after shooting dead an employee and injuring another at Rajadih village under Katra police station on Monday night.

The six persons came riding three motorcycles and gunned down Daulat Pandey (38) before exploding three bombs to scare away the residents of the area. Dhirendra Kumar, Daulat’s co-worker, suffered bullet injuries in his right arm and palm. He was rushed to a private nursing home in Muzaffarpur and was stated to be out of danger. Petrol pump manager Vimal Kumar Pandey said the criminals sped away towards Darbhanga after the attack.

Traders of Katra block kept their shops closed on Tuesday in protest against the police’s alleged failure to curb the rising incidents of crime. Petrol pumps in Katra and Gaighat blocks and those located along the Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga stretch of National Highway 77 remained closed for half the day.

The district unit of petrol pumps association has condemned the attack on traders and dealers of petroleum products and demanded immediate arrest of Pandey’s killers. The association has also threatened to keep the filling stations closed for an indefinite period if the police failed to nab the culprits within 24 hours.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) (east) Shibli Nomani visited Katra block to review the situation. He said the police have identified the gang involved in the incident. “The police have lodged an FIR against unidentified gangsters. Efforts are on to nab them. The gang is suspected to have fled to Darbhanga. A police team, led by Katra police station house officer Manoj Kumar, has been sent to adjoining districts to arrest the killers,” the DSP added.