Police were called just before 2:30pm yesterday afternoon follwing a report that members of the public had detained a man that they believed had been attempting to kidnap a woman on John Street in Rochdale.
Members of the public had intervened after a stranger had attempted to drag the victim behind a building.
A 41-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and sexual assault, and remains in custody for questioning.
Enquiries are ongoing.
Detective Inspector Nicola Hopkinson from GMP's Rochdale District said: "Firstly, I want to thank the members of the public that stepped in when they saw the woman in distress, and alerted police. It's important we look out for one another in our communities.
"This is an extremely distressing incident, not only for the woman involved, but for the community. While we aren't looking for anyone else in connection with this, there will be additional police patrols in the area.
"We take incidents of this nature extremely seriously. Our job as police officers, is to keep the public safe. We want all members of our community, especially women and girls, to feel they are not at risk of harm when simply walking the streets of Greater Manchester and going about their daily lives.
"If you see or hear something that doesn't seem quite right, please get in touch with police. You can do so either via LiveChat on our website, www.gmp.police.uk or you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111."
