Alipurduar, May 4: A man who allegedly tried to molest a 10-year-old girl was beaten to death by her neighbours last afternoon.

The incident took place in the Shila line of Sankosh Tea Estate near Kumargram.

Sankar Das, a carpenter, had gone to work in a house in the garden yesterday. The girl living in the adjacent house was asleep when Sankar entered the room around 4.30pm. The girl was alone at her house as her parents had gone to work in the estate.

Just as he tried to molest the girl, her mother Lalita Oraon came back from the garden. She raised the alarm that alerted the neighbours who rushed to the spot. They dragged the 30-year-old man out of the house and tied him to an electricity poll before beating him up.

Sankar died on the spot.

After the incident, three women, including the mother of the girl, were arrested.

“When I returned from work I saw Sankar trying to rape my daughter. I caught him and raised the alarm. Our neighbours took him outside. My daughter was so frightened that she could not utter a single word for half an hour. I was busy with her. I cannot say what happened outside. I have lodged a complaint with the Kumargram police station,” said Lalita.

Sankar’s wife Tinku Das has also lodged a complaint.

David Lepcha, the subdivisional police officer of Alipurduar, said: “We have received two complains and a probe has started.” The women were produced in the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate today and were remanded in jail custody for 14 days.