Patna, Mar 8 (IANS): A Delhi gold merchant was shot and robbed in Patna on Thursday, police said.

The incident occurred near the Samrat Hotel, near the Dak Bungalow Chowk, when three men, on a bike, snatched the bag from the victim named Ahtesham Ali and shot him in the hand when he tried to resist.

SP, Central, Chandra Prakash City, along with a team from the Kotwali police station, reached the crime scene to investigate.

Ahtesham Ali and his father Ansar Ali, residents of Delhi's Karol Bagh, had come to Patna for business.

When they stepped out of their hotel, the three robbers targeted them. Eyewitnesses said that two of the robbers, after committing the crime, fled on the bike while another walked away from the spot holding a gun in his hand and no one dared to intervene

"As soon as we learnt about the incident, we reached the crime scene. We are scanning the CCTV cameras to identify the accused. A tracker dog was also called to find clues about the robbers," the SP said.

The victim is currently admitted to PMCH Patna and his condition is stable. During the investigation, it appeared that the Alis regularly came to Patna for business, selling gold ornaments in the jewellery shops.

The robbers probably spotted the victims in Patna and committed the crime in a planned manner.