A group of armed men stormed the Mumbai-Lucknow Pushpak Express on Wednesday night and threw three passengers out of the train before raping a woman near Vidisha, about 60 km from Bhopal, police said on Thursday.

Eight to ten attackers armed with knives and other weapons who boarded the train in Bhopal, went on a looting spree and beat up passengers in the general compartment when the train approached Vidisha around midnight, Government Railway Police said.

The attackers threw three passengers out of the train when they put up some resistance, sources said, adding that the three -- Akhilesh, Ajay and Sanjay -- were admitted to a hospital in Jhansi, where their conditions was stated to be critical.

The gang members also dragged a woman into the toilet and raped her, they said adding that the attackers pulled the emergency chain as the train approached a station and fled.

Senior officials, including Inspector General of Police, P L Pandey have rushed to Jhansi and further probe was in progress, they said.