Patna, Nov. 17: A 58-year-old woman was brutally assaulted by criminals for over an hour in her home on the city’s western suburbs early this morning for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of her businessman son who the thugs wished to kill.

Around 3 in the morning, a gang of five sneaked into the two-storied home of businessman Jawahar Singh, 68, at Bochachak in Phulwarisharif, by using a ladder to climb to the first floor where his wife Lalti Devi, 58, was sleeping. The rest of the family — Jawahar Singh, the couple’s elder son Sujeet Rai, daughter-in-law Renu Devi and younger son Suchit Rai — were sleeping on the ground floor of the spacious house.

The family, among the more well-off in the largely middle-class locality, owns a thriving business in building construction material.

According to the complaint lodged with the police by the family members, the criminals bolted the room in which Lalti Devi was sleeping and began assaulting her. They asked her to reveal the whereabouts of her elder son Sujeet alias Pappu. The assailants apparently had information that Sujeet was not at home and had no inkling that he was actually sleeping on the ground floor.

The goons continued to beat the elderly lady for around an hour, causing severe injuries to her jaws and ears. The spunky lady steadfastly refused to reveal any information on her son, endured the assault and eventually passed out.

The commotion had meanwhile woken up the other family members. Sujeet’s wife Renu along with her brother-in-law Suchit rushed upstairs to help Lalti Devi. The thugs dragged Renu inside the room and started beating her as well. When Suchit tried to come to her rescue, he too was severely thrashed and received injuries in his neck and hands.

By this time, Sujeet had raised an alarm and called out for help. As neighbours started to gather outside the home, the criminals, realising they were trapped, fled. The family members, however, managed to overpower one of the attackers, one Ajay Sah, a man in his thirties and also a resident of Bochachak.

The police said Sah, who was drunk when he was caught, was known to Jawahar Singh and earlier frequented his office.

A police team from Phulwarisharif police station, led by station house officer N. Rajak, reached the spot. The injured have been admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital for treatment. “My family members are terrorised. My mother is hysteric. I am unable to calm her down,” said Sujeet.

Phulwari deputy superintendent of police Rakesh Kumar Dubey said the criminals had not looted any cash or valuables from Singh’s house. “Prima facie, it seems that the motive of the criminals was to eliminate Sujeet Rai. They did not want to rob his house,” he said.

Dubey said a case under Section 307 of the IPC — pertaining to attempt to murder — has been lodged against Sah.