Patna, Sep 19 (IANS): A child died after an unqualified doctor operated on her with a kitchen knife in Bihar's Purnea district, police said Friday.

"We have detained the accused doctor after the victim's relatives protested against his negligence and beaten him," a district police official said.

Victim's father Prakash Pundit, resident of Dagarua in Purnea, about 350 km from Patna, said that he took his one-year daughter to a doctor in a nearby village following stomach pain.

"The doctor told us that she should be operated soon for appendicitis. He operated her by a knife used for cutting vegetables. During operation, he cut her intestine and her condition deteriorated following excessive bleeding," the father said.

The doctor then told us to take her to a private clinic. But the clinic refused to admit her and referred her to a sadar hospital.

"When we reached the hospital, doctors declared her dead," he said.

Police officials said they have began investigation of the case.