GHAZIABAD: Just 100 metres from police barricades at the border, a slogan-shouting mob of 10 went from house to house in Delhi's Karawal Nagar on Tuesday afternoon, knocking on doors.

Moments before this group had turned into the alley, the police team stationed on the other side of the border - in

's Lal Bagh - had seen a family secure themselves inside one of the Karawal Nagar houses.

In a sudden burst of violence, the mob set on fire like expert arsonists a bike and a Scooty, a car and an e-rickshaw parked in the alley.

When they got no response from the houses, they decided to hit back by smashing glass bottles filled with fuel into the walls. It didn't take long for the UP Police team to realise Molotov cocktails would be next. They only had a few seconds to save whoever was within those walls.

Ghaziabad's SP (rural)

, who held charge at the border checkpoint set up to stop any movement between Delhi and UP, made the decision. He crossed the border and dashed towards the mob. Subdivisional magistrate (Loni) Khalid Anjum, circle officer Rajkumar Pandey and around 30 other policemen followed. They were in anti-riot gear. The mob retreated after cops threatened a lathi charge.

"We couldn't just stand and see a group of rioters come and set fire to houses before our eyes," Jadaun told TOI on Wednesday. "When no one in the houses opened the doors, the mob was preparing to throw a bottle of petrol. Seeing this, we immediately made the decision to cross the border. I didn't think whether the house was in Delhi or Ghaziabad at the time or whether I have the jurisdiction to protect or not. As a police officer, it is my duty to protect every citizen of the country," he added.

Once the mob had retreated, the Ghaziabad police team went back to its post and did what protocol demanded: report the incident to Delhi Police. "We called Delhi Police but they didn't respond to the situation. That was most surprising," Jadaun said.

Anjum said the Ghaziabad team got pelted with stones by the mob. "But when police and the administration displayed unity to save the houses, the mob stopped and retreated. For the last two days, not a single cop from Delhi was deployed at the border to maintain law and order. When we called Delhi Police, they told us they were busy with security arrangements for the visit of (US President) Donald Trump. It was only on Tuesday night that senior Delhi policemen came to the Karawal Nagar-Lal Bagh border and appreciated the work done by Ghaziabad police and the administration," Anjum said.

But even after that, a fresh security threat cropped us as mobs from Delhi made multiple attempts to breach the barricades and create trouble in Lal Bagh. The first attempt was made around 10pm on Tuesday by a group of around 40. They were thwarted. Around midnight and 3am, two more mobs made similar attempts but were foiled both times. UP Police had increased deployment by then.

Ghaziabad SSP Kalanidhi Naithani told TOI, "There are 10 major border points between Ghaziabad and Delhi. The sensitive areas are Tulsiniketan, Shalimar Garden, Loni and Lal Bagh." No violence was reported in Ghaziabad where vigil has been stepped up in light of the Delhi riots.