DALIAN - An alleged molester who tried to attack his victim on a bus had the tables turned on him when other passengers beat him up instead.

The man, surnamed Di, allegedly molested two women on a crowded public bus in Dalian, China, on Monday (Oct 17), The Daily Mail reported.

When the second woman, surnamed Bi, walked away from him, he threatened to hit her.

In a viral video, Di, who sports a grey jacket and a shaved head, can be seen shouting at her and claiming that she had injured his hand.

When Ms Bi threatens to call the police, Di insults her and tells her she must compensate him for the supposed hand injury. "Pay me money, you b***h," he shouts.

Other passengers on the bus stand between them, and when he lunges at her yet again, they begin attacking him, including with a wooden pole.

One is heard shouting: "Behaving like a hooligan in a public place... aren't you asking for a beating?"

The video then cuts to Di now sporting a bloody nose and torn clothes as he pleads: "Stop, stop, please stop hitting me. Please, I've done wrong, I admit my wrongdoing."

One passenger passes him tissue paper to mop up the blood, even as others criticise him: "How could you hit a woman, aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

Dalian police later said on Weibo that Di was sent to hospital for treatment for facial injuries. Police are investigating the incident.