Patna: Panic gripped Taiyabpur Bazar in Kishanganj district after bombs were hurled and cash and valuables looted from the house of an influential farmer and businessman early on Wednesday.

Police said 30 armed criminals barged into the house of Nand Kishore Choudhary and looted cash and gold jewellery worth over Rs 2 lakh. The robbers also took away his licensed gun.

The criminals hurled a series of bombs outside Choudhary's house to terrorise residents, who could not muster courage to open their doors. Later, the criminals entered the house of Choudhary's neighbour, a businessman, and decamped with booty worth over Rs.1 lakh.

Kishanganj superintendent of police (SP) Rajeev Mishra later visited the house and issued necessary instructions to Pothia police to identity the gang and arrest them. A Pothia police team had an encounter with the dacoits, but they managed to escape under the cover of darkness.

The SP said a special team had been constituted to crack the case. The Pothia police station house officer (SHO) Subash Mandal said the police registered FIRs in connection with the robberies on the statement of those who had been robbed. Subash, however, denied that the robbers misbehaved with women residents who resisted robbery.

In Nawada district, armed robbers looted cash and valuables from the house of Manoj Sah at Pandapa village under the jurisdiction of Nadirganj police station and decamped with booty worth Rs.2 lakh. They also assaulted Manoj's wife Gudiya Devi when she resisted loot.

Manoj told the police that the operation lasted around an hour. His family members were confined to a room while the gangsters were busy collecting gold jewellery, cash and other valuables, he said.

Thereafter, the robbers entered the house of C.K. Chaurasia and looted Rs 12,000 in cash and gold ornaments worth over Rs 40,000. The criminals opened fire in the air to terroise the residents. Later they escaped with the loot.

The robbers also attempted dacoity in the house of Chaurasia's neighbour Jainendra Yadav. The station house officer of Nadirganj police station Manoj Kumar said they couldn't enter Yadav's house as they raised an alarm and locals rushed to the spot.

The SHO said an FIR was lodged in connection with the incident and raids launched to nab the criminals. Residents told police the criminals also made an abortive bid to commit theft in the go-down of Tulsi Sah the same night.

Nawada SP Vikas Barman said the policemen were already on the job and the criminals would be put behind bars soon.