Three motorcycle-borne men snatched a bag containing Rs 9.24 lakh from a middle-aged man when he was going to deposit the money in his son-in-law’s bank account on Monday afternoon.

Around 2pm, Azizul Islam, 56, was on his way to deposit the cash belonging to his son-in-law, who runs a poultry farm in the locality. As Azizul was walking to the bank with the cash, the trio on a motorbike waylaid him near Anukul More in the town’s Jogendranath Colony area.

When Azizul resisted the goons’ attempts to take the bag containing the cash, the trio hit him on his head repeatedly with bricks till he slumped on the road unconscious. He has been hospitalised.

The goons decamped with the cash, opening fire when some of the residents gave chase. No one was injured in the firing.

Police are trying to identify the goons by examining CCTV camera footage. No one has been arrested so far.

Ranjit Biswas, an eyewitness, said: “I saw two youths trying to snatch a bag from an elderly man while the other was hitting on his head with a brick repeatedly. I raised an alarm but the goons threatened to open fire at me. The old man eventually fell unconscious and the goons fled on the motorcycle with the bag. When residents tried to run after them, one of the goons opened fire.”

Azizul’s son-in-law Mosaraf Hossain said: “Since I was busy, I gave the money to my father-in-law to deposit it in my bank account. He often does it for me. I never imagined such an incident of assault and loot could happen in Kalyani in broad daylight.”