A teenage migrant accused of raping an Austrian mother was caught after insisting she took his phone number, police say.

The 18-year-old who was living in an asylum seeker centre close to the scene of the attack had tried to use the number to call his alleged victim before he was arrested, according to investigators.

The attack, described by police as particularly violent, happened when the 52-year-old woman had gone to visit a friend in Innsbruck, in western Austria’s Tyrol state.

A teenage migrant accused of raping an Austrian mother was caught after insisting she took his phone number, police say (file picture)

She was just ringing the doorbell when she was grabbed from behind, and then dragged to a nearby lawn.

Police said she was stripped naked and raped for 15 minutes after being dragged behind the building.

Afterwards, her attacker forced her to exchange telephone numbers with him, and insisted that she save his number in her phone before running off.

The woman's friend, who she had been trying to visit when she was attacked, had not been at home when the doorbell had been rung. But the friend had spotted the attacker running off as she returned.

When he was arrested, both the victim and her friend were able to clearly identify him, prompting Innsbruck police spokesman Hubert Rimml to say that for them, the police part of the investigation was now over.

The attack, described by police as particularly violent, happened when the 52-year-old woman had gone to visit a friend in Innsbruck (file picture), in western Austria’s Tyrol state

He said: 'The man was identified not only by the victim, but also by her friend. He also had the telephone on him when he was arrested.'

The suspect had only arrived in Austria in January and had immediately applied for asylum. His victim, who was hospitalised after the attack, told police that she had often seen him walking around the area.

Police then discovered that he was living in an asylum centre nearby. He was one of 380 men living in the centre which now seems likely to be closed down at the end of April.

Local Green party spokesperson for social affairs Christine Baur warned against prejudice towards the refugees, although at the same time stressing that violence against women should also be condemned.

She said that they planned to reassure people that they were safe by handing out pamphlets to fight against scaremongers.

The 52-year-old woman's son said that his mother was still traumatised after what had happened, and confirmed that he had tried to call her after the rape.

He said: 'It is obviously a relief that he has been arrested, although it was still an enormous stress as the victim, for her to have to see him again to identify him.'