A mob on Wednesday beat up a bank robber and almost chopped off his left hand at Rupaspur, around 1km west of Patna.

The incident occurred around 2.30pm. Police said around 2.20pm, four people entered the Mahuabagh branch of Bank Of Baroda located at the Mahuabagh area under the jurisdiction of Rupaspur police station.

“They entered the bank and went to the customer service counter where cash worth Rs 1.51 lakh was kept. The man took out two pistols, took the cash and started to flee. The bank employees raised an alarm and gave chase. As commotion spread, residents gathered and one of the criminals, identified as Jitendra Pandit (35), was caught and beaten up. His associates managed to flee,” said an officer at Rupaspur police station.

He added: “The mob snatched a sharp-edged weapon from Pandit and used it to inflict injury on his left hand causing it to be almost severed. The cops were called who immediately took him to PMCH for treatment.”

The accused hails from Jamui and cash worth Rs 1.20 lakh has been recovered from his possession. The hunt for the remaining criminals is on, the police said.