Patna, June 17: A gold trader was shot dead and robbed this morning near the Gai Ghat area under Alamganj police station.

Manoj Kumar Gupta, 41, boarded a Hajipur-bound auto from Gai Ghat at 7.30am. Three other passengers were travelling in it.

Little did Manoj know that his co-passengers were criminals in disguise. After the vehicle covered around half-a-kilometre, one of his co-passengers shot him. He was also shot at by one of the two persons following the autorickshaw on a motorbike. Both the bullets hit him in the stomach.

As Manoj collapsed, the gang fled with the jewellery he was carrying.

Sources said Manoj had around 1kg gold ornaments with him when he boarded the autorickshaw.

Manoj was rushed to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

The incident has sent shockwaves among the residents of the city, especially the business community.

Manoj was a resident of the Sabzibagh area, and had a jewellery shop — Maa Vindhyavashini Jewellers — in the Bakerganj area.

Police said three persons were arrested and the bike the assailants used had been recovered. The cops said the murder and robbery had been well-planned.

“The criminals knew that Manoj was carrying a lot of gold ornaments. They had planned well. They had kept a close watch on him and knew that he would be going to Hajipur today. The arrested persons are being interrogated at present. It is clear that some of them were waiting for Manoj in the autorickshaw. When the auto started, two others followed it on a bike. Both the shots were fired simultaneously from a close range. The bullets hit Manoj on either side of his stomach,” a police officer said.

After the post-mortem, Manoj’s body was brought to the Bakerganj area, where businessmen blocked the road and shouted slogans against the government and the police.

Gupta is survived by his wife Rita Devi and two children — Sonali (8) and Ayush (10).

“What will they do now? Manoj was from a humble background. He used to take orders and deliver the jewellery. The ornaments that were looted today were also an order placed by a customer. It seems the police have become friendly with criminals these days. A compensation of Rs 10 lakh should be given to the family. The police must arrest those involved and recover the looted ornaments,” said Bharat Mehta, the secretary of Patliputra Saraf Sangh.

The sources said there had been a steady escalation in the number of murders in the city. Last month, 32 people were murdered in Patna.