Patna: Robbers bludgeoned a 52-year-old man to death in a house at Nawada village under the Phulwarisharif police station area in the early hours of Tuesday, throwing up questions once again over night patrolling.

The area is around a kilometre west of AIIMS. Local residents said there is hardly any night policing - on which the Patna cops claim they are paying special attention - in the area and thieves had targeted around half a dozen houses in the recent past.

The deceased, Ajay Vishwakarma, a mason, was living at the house of Ajay Malakar, a florist. The Malakars had shifted to their new house at Nawada village around six months back and construction work was on in the second floor. According to local residents, six armed robbers entered Malakar's house from the terrace around 2.30am on Tuesday.

Vishwakarma was sleeping on the first floor while the Malakars were on the ground floor. Sources said that Vishwakarma woke up on hearing the noise of the robbers entering the house. He raised an alarm and tried to stop the robbers.

The dacoits, believed to be in their twenties and armed with iron rods and wooden sticks, thrashed Vishwakarma. Hearing Vishwakarma's screams, house owner Ajay Malakar and his wife Gudia Devi rushed to the first floor to find the robbers beating up the mason.

The robbers turned on Malakar and his wife, beat up the couple and tied the hands and legs of Malakar's three children.

Then they looted Rs 40,000, jewellery worth Rs 1.5 lakh, and other valuables from the house.

Around 4.30am, after the robbers left, the family members managed to inform police and the neighbours.

"When we reached the house we were shocked to see Vishwakarma in a pool of blood as the assailants had hit him on his head him with iron rods," said Rinky Devi, a resident of the area.

"Ajay Malakar and his wife also had injuries."

Phulwari police station house officer (SHO) Ajit Kumar said Malakar and Gudia Devi are undergoing treatment at Patna Medical College and Hospital.

"The three children were fortunate as the robbers did not harm them," the SHO said.

As news of the murder spread in the morning, senior police officers rushed to the spot from Patna.

The robbers targeted Malakar's house as few houses were located near it, said a police source.

Police sources said they suspect local criminals were involved in the incident.