Malda: A teenaged girl was raped and brutally assaulted by a youth in Dhantala area of Englishbazar in the district.

Abhay Mondal (27) had lured the girl out of her home last night on the pretext of buying her a bicycle and then took her to a secluded spot where he raped her, police said, adding the youth was arrested.

After committing the crime, the youth slit the victim`s throat with a sharp weapon and fled, assuming her to be dead, they said.

Though the girl was badly injured and lost consciousness, she somehow managed to come out and reach a roadside tea stall. Seeing the bleeding girl, local residents rushed her to the Malda Medical College for treatment.

District Superintendent of Police Kalyan Mukherjee and state Tourism Minister Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury, who is also the local MLA, reached the hospital to ensure that the victim got proper treatment and the matter investigated.

"We have arrested Mondal late last night from the Birampur area of Kaliachak where he was hiding after committing the crime. Investigations are on," Mukherjee said.

Mondal was remanded in police custody for three days by a local court today.