The wife of a primary schoolteacher at Kaliachak in Malda narrowly averted death on Friday evening after two bullets, allegedly fired at her by her neighbour, missed their target.

This youth, she alleged, had been mentally torturing her for the past few months with amorous proposals. She has filed a complaint with police against the attacker and his relatives. The police are probing the case.

The homemaker, 33, from Choto Sujapur under Kaliachak police station, alleged her neighbour Abu Bakkar, 25, would pass lewd remarks at her.

She filed a complaint against him on May 15, but he became all the more aggressive and started threatening her with dire consequences every now and then, she said.

“My family, including my small son, are all scared. The youth entered my house recently and attacked my family members,” she said, adding a second complaint against him was lodged on October 2.

On Friday, elders of the locality convened a “salishi sabha (kangaroo court)” to resolve the issue where both the complainant and the accused were called. There, the youth was reprimanded by elders, which he “took as an insult”, said sources.

After the meeting, when the woman was on her way back home, the youth and his relatives charged at her.

“They shoved me and I fell. Suddenly, the accused took out a firearm and fired one round at me. I had a close shave. As I ran, they kept chasing me. Another round was fired and the second bullet hit a wall nearby,” she said, adding that she suffered bruises when she fell.

Her husband brought her to Malda Medical College and Hospital. “I was released from hospital after treatment on Saturday. After my release, I lodged a third police complaint against him,” she said.

A police officer said the youth had been detained.

Asish Das, inspector-in-charge of Kaliachak police station, said the complaint was being probed into.

Some residents told the police that the complainant and the accused were distant relatives.

Congress MLA of Sujapur Isha Khan Choudhury said that the police should take necessary action in the case to resolve the matter quickly.