Karwar:  Karnataka Police on Saturday said they have arrested a youth in Uttara Kannada district on charges of raping a four-year-old minor girl and also attempting to strangulate her.

The arrested person has been identified as 26-year-old Shiva, a native of Kadapa city in Andhra Pradesh who worked as a daily wage labourer.

According to the police, the accused, in an inebriated state, had dragged the girl to an isolated place and raped her on Thursday evening in Sirsi town.

He then tried to strangulate the girl with a wire but some passersby hear her screams and rushed to the spot, managing to rescue her.

The police said that the accused tried to escape but was caught and handed over the cops.

The police have lodged a case under the IPC Sections 376, 307, Section 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act.