The Labyrinth of Abatement

I'm having a spar with my friend, Rohan, over a Criminal Law question. We're both prepping for CLAT PG and AILET PG, and our disagreement has got me stumped. The question is from the IPC sections.

Q: M under the influence of alcohol, attempts to commit dacoity. However, he fails and flees the scene. Later, while still intoxicated, he meets his associate N and plans to commit the same dacoity the next day. Does the offence of dacoity abate?

Rohan says - Abatement here doesn't apply bhai because it's a preparatory stage, not an actual crime yet. I, on the other hand, think that since the intent is still there and it's a continuous process, it can't be said that the offence has abated. Can you lot help us settle this?