Stung by the widespread criticism over certain remarks made by their chief about the molestation of two NRI women on New Year's eve, the Mumbai police on Thursday appealed to the media to observe restraint and not to sow a 'seed of suspicion' in the minds of common people.

"There is no human being who does not use wrong words at the wrong time and at the wrong place. He said it in a different way and it was interpreted wrongly," Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) K L Prasad said while reacting to Police Commissioner D N Jadhav's statement.

Downplaying the shocking incident of two women being molested by a mob of 70 people as a 'minor issue', Jadhav had accused the media of making a mountain out of a molehill.

"Such things can happen anywhere anytime. Don't make a mountain out of molehill," Jadhav had said.

"Please do not judge us by just one instance and do not put the seed of suspicion in the minds of over one crore Mumbaikars through which they start doubting our credibility," Prasad said on Thursday.

Prasad also gave a clean chit to Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Amarjeet Singh, who rescued the women from the crowd, saying, "Rather than catching the culprits, any officer would try to save the victim from further trouble in such situations."

Stating that the victims in the case are returning to USA on January 10, Prasad added that they were treated properly at Juhu police station but they refused to file a complaint.