Keonjhar, March 3: In a daring incident of robbery, over eight armed anti-socials shot at an elderly man while looting Rs 25,000 from a house at Bhadrasahi in Barbil township in Keonjhar last night.

The injured person has been admitted to the S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack last night. Police suspect involvement of a robbers’ gang from neighbouring Jharkhand in the incident.

According to the police, over eight persons armed with pistols, knives and iron rods barged into the house of iron ore transporter Jadumani Barik last night.

Family sources said the robbers asked Jadumani’s father Basudev Barik to hand over the keys of the almirahs. When he resisted, they fired at him. “They first held my elderly father to part with cash and gold ornaments, but he tried to resist them. Later, they fired at him,” said Jadumani.

The dacoits fled when Barik’s family members and neighbours reached the spot after hearing firing shots. They rushed injured Basudev to the nearest hospital for treatment. Later, he was shifted to the S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as his condition deteriorated.

Police said that the dacoits, who were speaking in Hindi as well as in local dialect, were eight in numbers. They were about 25-30 years old and their faces were covered up with masks.

Barbil police station inspector-in-charge, K.C. Parida, said: “The armed dacoits have looted Rs 25,000 after injuring an elderly man of the house. We have registered a case and investigation is on.”

The inspector-in-charge also informed police had sealed various exit points of the state and launched a massive search operation to nab the criminals. Nobody was, however, arrested till this evening.