Senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaj inspects the clinic in Patna City on Saturday. Picture by Sachin

Patna, July 6: A 35-year-old man, said to be a medical practitioner, was shot at in the wee hours today at his home-cum-clinic in Patna City.

The victim, identified as Anil Kumar, was shot in the head around 4am in Maharaj ka Garh area under the jurisdiction of Khajekala police station. Sources said personal enmity could be a reason behind the attack. Anil has been admitted to a private hospital where, police said, his condition is critical.

Residents of the area said he was popular with the locals and helpful too. They said he was a registered medical practitioner but the police are verifying his credentials.

Anil used to live in a one-room house, which also functioned as his clinic, along with his compounder.

A police officer told The Telegraph: “The man was a registered medical practitioner. He used to live in a one-room house with a compounder, identified as Golu. According to information available, around 4am someone knocked on the clinic’s shutter. Anil pulled up the shutter to find a person complaining of serious stomachache. The compounder was asleep in the room and did not wake up. Anil asked the person to come in and sit while he looked for some medicine on the shelves. At this time, the person took out a country-made pistol and shot Anil in the head from close range. As Anil collapsed, the gunshot woke up the compounder, who raised an alarm. The attacker fled, leaving the pistol on the spot. Residents in the area woke up and took Anil to a private hospital. He is lucky to be alive but his condition is said to be critical.”

The cops said the motive behind the attack has not been ascertained yet. The police, however, hope to get clues about the attacker from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed at an ATM across the road from the clinic. “The police feel the CCTV camera installed at the ATM must have taken pictures of the incident. So, its records will be checked. The police have got a few leads and are working on them,” said Rakesh Kumar, deputy superintendent of police (Patna City).

An officer at Khajekala police station said: “The police are trying to contact Anil’s family. The attack seems to be out of enmity. The assailant had planned the attack carefully and chosen a time when very few people would have been on the streets. The police have quizzed the residents, too, and they all said Anil was a helpful person. The attacker knew that he would have opened the shutter to help patients anytime in the day. The forensic team has been called and evidence is being gathered.”