An Irish woman was allegedly molested by a gang of four boys on Outram Road, in the Maidan area, on Saturday evening.

Two of the boys were arrested while the other two managed to give a police team the slip. The accused are all between 12 and 14 years of age.

“The 31-year-old, associated with a city-based NGO, was on her way to Park Street around 3.30pm when the four surrounded her near the Territorial Army’s tent,” said Rajesh Subarna, the deputy commissioner of police (south).

“The boys started tugging at my clothes. I was shouting and asking them to stop, but they carried on. They even tried to pull my bag,” she said in her complaint lodged with Maidan police station.

None of the pedestrians who were witnessing the assault came to the woman’s rescue. A police van patrolling the area speeded to the spot.

“The cops got down from the vehicle, chased the boys and managed to catch hold of the two,” said an officer of Maidan police station. The other two fled.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the four were from Park Circus. “They live in slums and seek alms from foreign tourists,” the officer added.

“The woman, who has been in the city for the past year and a half, expressed shock at the bystanders not coming to her rescue,” said another officer of the police station.