Home guard Nand Lal . Picture by Sachin

Prompt action by citizens saved at least two girls, a mother and a home guard from serious trouble from eve-teasers on Tuesday afternoon.

In the first incident, a group of five men tried to molest a mother-daughter duo working in the pulse polio camp on Sheetla Mata Mandir campus under the Bypass police station in Patna City. A home guard posted at Bypass police station tried to intervene but was beaten up by the goons.

Residents near the temple rushed to the rescue of the jawan and caught hold of one of the alleged attackers. The others fled the spot fearing an assault by the mob.

Home guard Nand Lal, in his forties, has suffered bruises in the attack, the police told The Telegraph.

“The temple, being one of the oldest in the state capital, sees a lot of people coming with their children. Hence, the camp was set up on its premises. The mother and daughter used to administer polio drops to the children. Today, a group of men, between 22 and 28 years, suddenly started to pass lewd comments at the girl. The mother intervened and they started talking dirty about her too,” said Saroj Kumar, a resident living close to the temple.

Eyewitnesses said the goons tried to grope the girl.

“Das was deputed at the temple for security but he was in civil clothes. When he asked the eve-teasers to behave themselves, they attacked the jawan. Das too retaliated. The fight went on for sometime before some residents of the area charged towards the five men. Seeing the crowd, all the five men tried to flee. One among them was, however, caught by the mob and has been detained at the police station for verification. If the victims identify him, the police will be initiating legal action,” Manoj Kumar, the station house officer at Bypass police station, told The Telegraph.

A complaint against five men have been lodged by the victims. The police have launched a hunt for the other four accused.

The police are also talking to the victims and trying to ascertain the appearance of the goons involved in the incident, the officer added.

The police said that the accused are residents of the same area.

“The incident is serious as the goons attacked someone trying to save women from molestation. The police will definitely catch these people,” another police officer said.

In another incident, a college girl was teased and abused by a group of three youths SP Verma Road under the Kotwali police station. The incident occurred around 4pm, sources said.

The girl was walking towards Frazer Road when three youths passed lewd comments and teased her. Some residents of the area chased the three and caught one of them.

The accused was beaten up by the people before they handed him over to the police.