Mumbai, Aug 8 (IANS): Mumbai Police are investigating an incident of attempted rape of a 22-year old woman by an unidentified person in a running suburban train of the Western Railway, officials said here on Saturday.

The incident occurred shortly before midnight on Thursday at Charni Road station in south Mumbai when an unidentified youth barged into the ladies compartment.

Seeing a lone 22-year old woman in the compartment, he attempted to overpower her and rape her. But she resisted and screamed for help.

The man then tried to smother her and tore off her clothes.

As the train slowed to halt at the next station, he jumped out of the compartment from the running train and ran away in the darkness.

An MBA graduate, hailing from Pune, the victim had boarded the train at Malad, a Mumbai suburb, around 11 p.m. and was commuting alone in the ladies compartment.

Though it is mandatory, there were no security personnel on duty in that compartment, a railway official admitted.

The victim complained to the Marine Lines station manager and later the railway police were summoned.

The railway police have recovered the CCTV footage of the youth -- seen sporting a blue tee-shirt and red Bermudas -- and are on the lookout for him.