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Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Woman Who Answered Craigslist Ad

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 50-year-old man has been charged with raping a woman who answered his Craigslist ad for a room for rent in the northwest suburbs.

Des Plaines Police Cmdr. Randy Akin said the 43-year-old woman answered an ad for a room to rent in an apartment in the 1000 block of South River Road on Wednesday.

She met the owner, and agreed to rent the room, but when she came back with some of her things, the owner – Farhad Tanzif – pulled out a knife, and sexually assaulted her, according to Akin.

"You have to be cautious when you're dealing with people and such. I mean, there's a level of trust anywhere, when you go out and you try to talk to people and interact with them. It's just, you know, be cautious of your surroundings. Make sure other people are aware of you; if you can be accompanied by a second person with you to kind of help keep you safe," he said.

After reporting the assault, the woman was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. Akin said she was physically okay, but emotionally traumatized.

Tanzif was arrested without incident, and charged with one count each of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated criminal sexual assault. He was expected to appear in bond court Saturday.

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