A city-based journalist was thrashed and his bike and wallet snatched by some youths in Lohanipur area of Patna on Thursday afternoon.

Kundan Kumar, a journalist with a national channel, was returning from his aunt's house when he noticed some youths stealing petrol from his bike. When Kundan stopped the youths, who were in their twenties, they started beating him.

The youths kept raining blows on him even after he revealed that he was a journalist. He was mostly attacked on his back and belly.

Some residents came rushing after Kundan raised an alarm. But seeing them, the youths fled with Kundan's bike, cellphone and wallet.

Kundan lodged a complaint at Kadamkuan police station. "Based on the complaint, we have registered a case against unknown persons," a police official there said. "The police are conducting raids." The police later recovered the bike from Lohanipur area.

Petrol pump loot

In another incident, two armed criminals looted cash worth Rs 2.5 lakh from a petrol pump outlet at Alimuddin Chak in Khagaul police station area around 2.30 am when the two were on night duty. As the petrol pump is on the main Khagaul road, it is at night.

Khagaul polices station house officer Sanjay Kumar said: "Around 2.30 am, the criminals reached the pump on foot. They flashed a pistol and demanded cash and cellphones." The two snatched the keys of the main office from the staff, entered the office and looted around Rs 2.30 lakh in cash from the cash chest. After committing the crime, they fled on foot towards Neora side.

The police claim, prima facie, it appeared to be the handiwork of local criminals, as they seemed to know where the cash was kept and who had the keys to the main office. The police suspect the role of insiders, as the criminals opened only the drawer where the cash was kept. Sources said the pump belongs to Maya Kumari, a relative of BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav.