Four private security guards posted at the Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) allegedly intercepted a young woman who had come to look after a patient, molested her, tried to rape her and shoot her video at the hospital campus on Friday night.

The woman somehow managed to escape from their clutches and filed a complaint with Englishbazar police. Police have arrested one of the guards and are in search of three others who are absconding.

Sources said that the woman, who is around 28 years old and from Old Malda block, was in the hospital to look after the patient who is a relative. “She had gone out of the ward to buy some essentials for the patient when these four security men attacked her. They dragged her to a solitary place and molested her. They attempted to rape her and took out cell phones to shoot videos. She somehow managed to escape from them and went to the police station to file her complaint,” said a police officer.

Policemen acted on her complaint and reached the MMCH where they found one of the accused and took him in custody.

“We are in search of the other three accused. They would all be booked under appropriate charges,” said Pradeep Kumar Yadav, the superintendent of police of Malda, said.

The incident created a stir at the MMCH as private security guards — many of whom are posted in different locations on the campus round the clock — are allegedly involved in the molestation of a woman on hospital premises.

Puranjay Saha, the vice-principal of the MMCH, said the accused were posted by a private agency that supplies security guards in the MMCH.

“It is an extremely undesirable incident. We have constituted an inquiry committee with officials of MMCH. The committee has been asked to furnish a report. A clarification would be sought from the private agency concerned. The security agency has been asked to terminate the accused quartet immediately,” said Saha.

32 Covid cases

Calcutta: Bengal on Saturday reported 32 new Covid-19 infections, 38 recoveries and no death.

Bengal has 378 active cases, according to the state bulletin.

The state’s positive confirmation rate is 0.25 per cent, recovery rate is 98.93 per cent and the mortality rate is 1.05 per cent.