School student Ankita Raj, who was allegedly attacked by “Blade Man” at Chailitand in Patna City on Thursday. Picture by Sachin

The spate of blade attacks in Patna City refusing to ebb, police on Thursday appealed to the public to co-operate with them to nab the offenders.

Two schoolgirls were targeted on Thursday, taking the number of victims to 14 in 15 reported incidents.

Just as Ankita Raj, 16, a student of Class IX of Khushwaha Girls’ High School in Chailitand under Alamganj police station, was entering her school around 8am, she saw her right hand bleeding.

The girl, a resident of Gai Ghat, fainted on the spot. Passers-by apprised the school authorities of the incident and she was rushed to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital.

Following treatment, the teenager said she did not notice the people who walked past her near the school. “I was just walking towards my school and did not pay attention to others. I don’t know who did this,” Ankita said.

The second incident occurred at Noon ka Chauraha under Khajekala police station around 2.30pm.

Najis Parveen, 12, a student of Class VIII at Little Flower School in Gurhatta, returned home to find blood oozing from a blade wound on her right wrist. “I didn’t realise this until I came back home and felt a sudden stinging sensation. I didn’t notice anyone,” she told The Telegraph.

Late on Wednesday evening, Patna senior superintendent of police Amrit Raj, who had told The Telegraph about the suspicion of a group of men involved in the attacks, went to Khajekala police station and held a meeting with inspectors and station house officers (SHOs) of different police stations of Patna City. Raj gave them a set of directions to nab the attackers.

Sources said Raj admonished them and directed plainclothes policemen to be more vigilant on the roads.

On Thursday, M.M. Mandal, the SHO of Khajekala police station, which saw most of the attacks, met residents, requesting them to co-operate with the cops to nab the accused. “The residents have always helped the cops. The police have asked them to be on alert,” the SHO told The Telegraph.

With police officers declining comment, a source said: “The motive of these attacks cannot be ascertained. It is definitely not a professional gang, as there is no element of profit involved. Rather, it is risky with the public poised to lynch any attacker they catch.”

Hussain Ali, a resident of Khajekala, said: “Most victims have been women and minors. Do the police want to say that minors should now be alert just like adults? How can the police not catch them when most of the incidents are occurring in two to three police station areas?”