Kapildev Prasad (55), an executive engineer with the public works department, survived an attempt on his life when a motorbike-borne gang opened fire at his sports utility vehicle (SUV) on Gola road under the jurisdiction of Danapur police station on Thursday.

While Prasad was unhurt, his driver - Anand Kumar -received bullet injuries. Residents rushed Anand to the Danapur sadar hospital for treatment and he is now stable.

Kapildev, who is posted at Gaya's Sherghati sub-division, was on his way to the Patna railway junction from his Chitrakut Nagar residence (Gola road) in his white SUV at about 5.30am when the incident occurred.

Four men riding two motorbikes overtook his car near the Gola Road turn and fired at the engineer, who was seated in the co-passenger seat, but missed. Anand was hit in both his hands.

A visibly shaken Kapildev said: "I was in a hurry as I had to catch a train for Gaya. Suddenly two motorbikes overtook my vehicle and one of the occupants opened fire. At least three bullets hit my vehicle."

Recounting the incident, Prasad added: "Two bullets pierced the front glass and hit Anand. He lost control of the vehicle, even though we were moving slowly. He managed to halt the vehicle."

The incident caused panic among school children on their way to schools just a stone's throw from the site.

A.B. Pandey, a local resident, said: "I was taken aback when the criminals fired and I lost control of my scooter. My daughter and I fell down. I'm glad we were wearing helmets or we would have suffered severe injuries."

Patna City superintendent of police (west) Ravindra Kumar rushed to the spot and made inquiries after being informed. Patna City superintendent of police (central) Chandan Kushwaha, who is also the acting senior superintendent of police, later visited the spot and said: "We have formed a special police team to probe the incident. The team headed by Ravindra Kumar will gather details and act accordingly. The police have procured video footage from CCTV cameras installed in nearby shops."

Kapildev told police that on October 14 he received a call and was threatened for refusing to pay Rs 20 lakh as extortion. City superintendent of police (west) Ravindra added that Kapildev had failed to lodge a complaint either in Gaya or Patna in connection to the threats.

Sources close to the family said that the alleged extortionists contacted Kapildev on his cellphone soon after the attack, and allegedly threatened him again. A neighbour, who did not wish to be identified said: "The whole family is living under threat and isn't willing to speak to journalists."