A gang on Sunday night savagely attacked a history-sheeter in Mahadevapura police station limits, which police suspect was the boiling over of an old rivalry.
Cauvery Nagar resident Lokesh alias Loki had come out on bail just two days before the attack, allegedly spearheaded by rival Murali alias Gadda and his associates.
A gang of three to four men attacked him at 7.30 pm, leaving Lokesh with five injuries on the neck alone. A few passersby rushed to the spot by which time the assailants fled in their bikes.
Mahadevapura police shifted Lokesh to hospital, where he remains critical. He was involved in the murder of Ajay, who was hacked to death in 2018. Police are reviewing the CCTV footage.