A Turkish man has been detained by police after a video showing him driving a minivan with his daughter tied to the back went viral and drew public outrage.

The incident was recorded by the occupants of a vehicle driving behind the minivan on a rural road in Cankiri, Central Turkey.

The footage shows the grey van overtaking the car in which the camera operator is in.

After several cars come from the opposite direction, the people mover comes into focus to show a girl dressed in black, strapped down to a bike rack.

Police became aware of the incident and tracked down the driver and father of the girl after the short clip became one of the most watched videos on Turkish social media this week.

The girl’s older brother told Turkish News outlet Anadolu that his 13-year-old sister enjoyed travelling on the bicycle carrier and was not placed there against her will.

"My father wanted to make her happy. It was not something forced upon her. He drove at 20 kilometres per hour at most and drove only about 700 meters with my sister at the back," the 22-year-old said.

Turkish police have not yet released what charges the man will face.