An Indian-origin Gujarati woman working at a gas station in the US state of South Carolina has been shot in the face and left critically injured in an attempted armed robbery.

Mradulaben Patel was the co-owner and clerk of a store at a gas station in Powdersville. Police have asked for help in identifying the man who believed to have shot Patel in the face Thursday night, Fox Carolina reported.

The report quoted Patel's friend Dilip Shah as saying that she had surgery yesterday and the doctors are monitoring her. He said he could not make out the reason for the shooting.

"She never had any problem with any customers," Shah said.

Deputies said the video shows a man walking into the store and they said he bought a pack of cigars. Authorities are reviewing the surveillance footage that showed the suspect, moments before, asking for cigars and then shooting Patel without taking any money.