A 17-year-old girl has allegedly been raped twice by the same attackers after police in west India used her as bait to help catch the perpetrators - and failed to follow her.

The victim had allegedly been held at knife point and raped by two men, and after reporting the assault to police, they asked her to arrange to meet them the next day to lure them into a trap.

However, police officers in Jalna, Maharashtra state, did not follow the young girl close enough, and the two men, both in their 20s, allegedly raped her a second time.

Big mistake: Police in Jalna, west India, seen ahead of a press conference with local media, asked a 17-year-old rape victim to arrange a meeting with her alleged attackers at which point she was raped again

The first attack is said to have taken place on July 7th, when the two men accosted the 17-year-old while she was out walking with her boyfriend.

The two men threatened the girl with a knife and forced her into a nearby forest before raping her, police say.

The pair also allegedly stole the girls mobile phone and used it to film the assault.

After the alleged victim had reported the rape to police, the two assailants contacted her and her mother in an attempt to blackmail her using the stolen mobile phone and the footage of the rape.

Attacked twice: The 17-year-old victim had allegedly been held at knife point and raped by two men in Jalna, Maharashtra, and after reporting assault, police asked her to arrange to meet them the next day

Apology: Vishwas Patil, Inspector General of Police, Aurangabad district, admitted that 'it is wrong to use a minor as a bait'

When the teenager told police they asked her to arrange to meet the two men under the false pretense that they would be getting the blackmail money, NDTV reports.

However, when the girl set out to meet the two men, police failed to follow her, blaming 'miscommunication', and the girl was raped once again.

The alleged rapists were arrested a few hours later at a railway station, and the police officer in charge of the 'bait' operation has been suspended.