A woman at home with a young child was sexually assaulted at knifepoint in Ottawa on Wednesday afternoon by a man who claimed to be a police officer.

The woman received minor injuries during the incident on Heatherington Road in Ottawa's south end, said an Ottawa police news release. Her child was not injured.

She opened the door to a man claiming to be a police officer, who sexually assaulted her while threatening her with a knife, the release said.

Police said they are looking for dark-skinned man of medium build, possibly of South Asian descent, who appeared to be in his 20s. He had facial hair on his chin, dark brown hair in a brush-cut and spoke English. He was wearing a black T-shirt and baggy jeans.