A Pakistani man was arrested over the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl in Thailand.

Ahmed Waka, 32, was detained at a two-storey apartment in Udon Thani in the country's impoverished northeast region where he reportedly tried to molest his neighbour's daughter.

Police arrived at the scene after receiving a report at 1 pm local time on September 20.

They said the 18-year-old, who lives with her mother, had been repeatedly watched by the suspect from his 3,000 baht (69.54 GBP) a month room before the alleged attack.

The teenager told officers Ahmed knocked on her door while her mother was at work. He allegedly asked about a laundry shop before hugging her and attempting to slip his hand down her trousers.

The terrified girl shoved him away and locked herself in her apartment, refusing his repeated requests to enter as she called building caretaker Bow, 35.

Bow said Ahmed had been renting the unit for less than a month with a Thai woman he claimed was his girlfriend.

She said: 'The girl called me and said the man in the room opposite had been harassing her. I'd often seen him standing and staring at her room whenever she was alone.

'Just last night, I arrived at the apartment and I noticed her waiting outside looking frightened. She called me again today, saying she'd been molested. She was so scared she could hardly speak on the phone.'

Ahmed has denied the accusations during questioning. He claimed he was living with his Thai girlfriend who was keeping his passport.

However, immigration checks found the suspect was illegally staying in Thailand. He had entered Thailand two years ago before travelling to Malaysia, with no record in his passport or on computer systems of a legal re-entry.

Police Captain Thirayothin Sapsin of the Mueang Udon Thani Police Station said: 'We speculate that he illegally entered Thailand through a natural border and has not left.

'We charged him with entering and remaining in the country without permission. As for the molestation charge, the inquiry officer will question the young girl before taking legal action.'