Compiled by WINNIE YEOH, NURBAITI HAMDAN AND A.RAMAN

A MALAYSIAN student in Melbourne was a victim of a brutal robbery on Monday that left her unconscious with strangulation marks around her neck.

Berita Harian reported that Swinburne University of Technology undergraduate Wan Hana Syafiqah Modin, 19, was walking alone to her campus when she was attacked from behind by a man wielding a sharp object.

The girl, who is from Kuala Lumpur, was then forced by the man to get into a car, where his three accomplices were waiting. They then beat her until she fainted.

It was learnt that the criminals dumped Wan Hana at an empty house before getting away with the A$260 (S$336) with which she had wanted to use to buy reference books.

After regaining consciousness, the bleeding Wan Hana ran with her hands still tied to a cafe nearby and was rescued by passers-by.

She was later taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for treatment for concussion and injuries on her arms. Her sister, Wan Iylia Raihan, 24, who is also a student at the same university, said Wan Hana also had strangulation marks on her neck.

Wan Hana, who went to Melbourne last December, is one of the university's top 10 students based on her pre-course examination results.