Patna, Feb. 6: A 50-year-old man was robbed of Rs 50,000 today when he was passing through the Agamkuan bridge in an autorickshaw in the state capital.

Shyam Sundar Singh, a Begusarai-based wholesale businessman, had come to the city to buy dry fruits. He was robbed of the amount on an autorickshaw that he had hired outside Patna Sahib railway station this morning.

“I came to Patna to go to Macharhatta in Marufganj. It was around 9am when I took an autorickshaw and asked the driver to proceed towards City Chowk. The driver started the auto even as I had not reserved the vehicle yet. After travelling some distance, three others boarded the vehicle. Two of them sat beside me, while another person took the seat beside the driver’s,” Singh told The Telegraph.

“Though I had asked the driver to go towards City Chowk, he took a turn towards Agamkuan bridge. As I protested, the driver said the road to City Chowk was choked. The passenger who was beside the driver’s seat took the rear seat. With four persons on the rear seat, it became uncomfortable,” he said.

“The three persons then started arguing over some issue. When the autorickshaw reached the bridge, the driver changed its direction towards Gulzarbagh. When I protested again, the driver asked me to get down. As soon as I stepped out of the vehicle, the driver sped away. He did not even wait for me to pay the fare,” he added. It was at this point that Singh realised that the money that he had in the pocket of his trousers had vanished.

“I could not take down the number of the autorickshaw as it sped away on top gear. “I called up a relative who lives in Kankerbagh. He came down and took me to the Agamkuan police station,” Singh added.

An officer at the police station said an FIR has been lodged. “I wonder how the men came to know that Singh was carrying cash. They might have taken a chance with Singh. Those involved in the case would be taken to task,” he said.