An Indian schoolboy from Delhi claims to have invented a device that can help women stave off would-be attackers.

The invented device, can be worn like a wrist watch, delivers an electric shock once it touches the attacker's skin.

Manu Chopra, 16, said that he wanted to use science to provide safety to women on the street.

Parts of many Indian cities, including Delhi, are unsafe for women. Many working women carry pepper spray to deter attackers.

India recorded almost 22,000 rape cases in 2008, 18 per cent up from 2004, the latest National Crime Records Bureau figures show.

Manu’s further said "shameful" that women consider it unsafe to go out of home at night.

"Even my sister 12 years old is not allowed to go out when dark because it is unsafe. This is the state of the national capital."

Cihan