CHENNAI: An 18-year-old woman from West Bengal was allegedly sexually assaulted by an auto driver and his accomplices in the city late on Monday night.

The woman works at a private company in Salem. On Wednesday night, she had taken a bus from Salem to the Kilambakkam terminus in Chennai to visit her relative who stays in Madhavaram.

As she got down from the bus, she found that there was no public transport available to go to Madhavaram. She started walking on the GST Road where she was approached by an auto driver who offered to drop her to Madhavaram.

However, the young woman refused to get into the auto and started walking away. The auto driver, following her, forcibly made her get into the vehicle. After travelling a short distance, two more unidentified men got into the same auto. Following this, the auto driver threatened the young woman with a knife and along with his accomplices, sexually assaulted her, said a Daily Thanthi report.

The woman raised an alarm following which passersby informed the police. As the cops started chasing the auto, the men hurriedly moved the woman to a passing auto in Nerkundram area and fled. A team of police officers rushed to the spot and rescued the young woman.

The police have registered a case and launched a search for the auto driver and his accomplices.