PTI
 
Patna, Sep 16: Armed dacoits looted passengers of a Delhi-bound express train after wounding four of them in Patna district late Friday, officials said on Saturday.

Five dacoits posing as passengers boarded the Howrah- Delhi 'Lal Quila Express' at Barh railway station around 9.30 p.m. and began looting the passengers as soon as the train left the station, police and railway officials said.

To terrorize the passengers, the criminals fired a few rounds and attacked them with sharp-edged weapons when they resisted attempts to loot them.

Four passengers received injuries and were admitted to the Nazareth hospital at Mokama.

While three of the wounded passengers--Kundan Kumar (Buxar), Vilas Rai (Buxar), Pradeep Pal (West Bengal)--were discharged after first aid, Sukhnandan Pandey of Ara, was still in hospital.

The dacoits alighted near Pandarak station after removing the vacuum to bring the train to a halt.

Five-member Government Railway Police (GRP) escort did not do anything to prevent the incident in which cash and valuables worth Rs 10,000 were looted, Railway officials said.

A case has been registered with the GRP at Mokama and efforts were on to apprehend the culprits, officials added.