An Indian teenager took a knife to a so-called tantric who allegedly tried to rape her for a second time and cut off his penis.

The man, who is also the girl’s uncle, is currently being hunted by detectives who praised what they described as the young woman’s “courage”.

Police in the Madhepura district of Bihar said the young woman, believed to be aged either 17 or 18, had been raped last month by her uncle, who is known in the local area as a tantric and who performs rituals. When he allegedly tried to assault her a second time, she was prepared and had armed herself with a knife.

The girl then reported what had happened to a village council. When the council failed to tackle the matter to her satisfaction, the young woman contacted women police officers, located at the local station.

One report in the Indian media said the girl had been taken to see the tantric by her parents after she fell ill and that he was tasked with “curing” her.

Senior officer AK Singh, superintendent at the Alam Nagar police station, located around 200 miles east of the state capital, Patna, told The Independent that was not been the case but that the man had abused his position as a member of the family and her trust.

“The incident happened 20 days ago. Initially the girl went to the [village council] but when that was unable to resolve the matter the case was brought to me,” said Mr Singh. “We then filed a case at the women’s police station.”

Almost every day the India media reports shocking sex crimes alleged to have been committed from across the length and breadth of the country.

The prominence and space given to such reports has been sharply elevated since the December 2012 gang-rape and murder of a student in Delhi.

Video: Anti-rape protests in India

The assault and murder of the young woman, who had boarded a bus with a friend after a visit to the cinema, sparked protests and a debate within the country about the treatment and position of women.

The government introduced a series of tougher penalties for those convicted of rape and fast-track courts to handle the cases.