A man has been arrested for selling his 12-year-old daughter for less than £5 to a man in Pakistan who then tried to rape her.

Police in Kasur in the Pakistani province of Punjab also arrested the man who bought the young girl for 500 Pakistani rupees, the equivalent of £2.45.

The mother of the girl told police her husband had called a man to their house and let him abuse their daughter after receiving the money.

A man has been arrested for selling his 12-year-old daughter for less than £5 to a man in Pakistan who then tried to rape her (stock image)

She was at work when the horrifying incident took place, Dawn News reported.

Her daughter then told her about what had taken place when she returned after the suspects had escaped.

She was given a medical examination and concluded an attempted rape had taken place.

The man who paid the money to assault the girl had previously been charged with child abuse in 2013 but was let off without punishment.

The mother of the girl told police her husband had called a man to their house and let him abuse their daughter after receiving the money (stock)

Police charged the pair with rape as well as buying and selling for the purposes of prostitution.

A list in Kasur also went viral on social media which named more than a hundred touts in the district - men who are patrons of prostitution.

The list includes names of local political figures, lawyers and reporters.