Three days after a 17-year-old girl was abducted in a taxi and gangraped, a youth stalking a 14-year-old girl came close to entering her school and molesting her.

Police said the incident occurred in front of the main entrance of Welland Gouldsmith School, a shout away from Lalbazar police headquarters, early on Thursday. A complaint was lodged on Friday.

?It was around 7.20 am and the students were entering the school premises. The security guard was standing by the main gate,? said an officer of Bowbazar police station.

?An unidentified youth, in his early 20s, was keeping a watch on the students walking down BB Ganguly Street. As soon as a girl, studying in Class VIII, approached the main gate of the school, he moved up and tried to grab her hand,? he elaborated.

The school authorities said the youth had not just made a grab for the girl but also tried to enter the premises. He was stopped by the security guard at the gate and driven out.

?We received the complaint around 1.30 pm on Friday from guardians, who requested us to take necessary action. We will look into the matter and take steps accordingly,? said Pradip Chatterjee, deputy commissioner of police (headquarters).

Bowbazar police station has already been asked to step up vigil around the school.

Police said one of the guardians noticed the youth following the students. ?When he moved close to the girls, the man raised an alarm, drawing the attention of the security guard. Other guardians surrounded the youth. They later told us the youth appeared to be a drug addict,? said an officer of Bowbazar police station.

?Some local youths then intervened, caught hold of the miscreant and assured the guardians that they would hand him over to the police station,? the officer added.

It was only on Friday that the guardians realised that the youth had not been handed over to police. They immediately held a meeting among themselves and went to the police station. ?They lodged a complaint and sought police vigil around the campus,? said deputy commissioner Chatterjee.

The school authorities, however, clarified that they had not lodged any police complaint. ?The incident took place outside the school premises and no guardian has approached us to take the matter to police. We maintain a strong vigil outside our school,? said an official of Welland Gouldsmith.