Senior Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and chief whip of the party in Bihar Assembly Abdul Gaffoor and his supporters were assaulted and their belongings looted by unidentified criminals at gunpoint near Baluwaha Ghat under Mahisi police station in Saharsa district.

Police sources said criminals waylaid Gaffoor and his supporters when they were going to Saharsa by boat from Baluaghat, his native village, on Monday.

The criminals, who were sailing in another boat, were armed with carbines, rifles, sten guns and semi-automatic rifles. They took away Gaffoor's wristwatch and briefcase containing important papers.

They also looted the belongings of others worth around Rs 200,000, sources added.