A routine trip home turned deadly for 22-year-old Mayank Lohar on Tuesday night after an altercation over closing the doors of a local train in Mumbai during heavy rains escalated into a fatal stabbing.
Lohar, a resident of Virar who works at an Andheri outlet in Westside, was traveling in the first-class cabin of the Churchgate-Nalasopara local when he was attacked. He later died of his injuries in hospital.
The police arrested the accused, 30-year-old Roshan Suvarna from Panvel, within hours of the incident. Suvarna, a resident of Mira Bhayandar, works as a bar code maker in the packaging department of the Mumbai airport’s cargo centre. Investigators said the confrontation began over whether the bus doors should remain open during rain.
A detailed account of the Mumbai local attack
Disagreement: Police said Lohar and Suvarna boarded the Churchgate-Nalasopara local area in Andheri at around 10.42 pm on Tuesday. As rain fell on the city, an argument broke out inside the first class cabin over whether the doors should be kept open or closed. Lohar reportedly wanted to close it to prevent rainwater from falling inside, while Suvarna insisted on it remaining open.
Escalating tensions: The argument continued while the train was moving between Andheri and Borivali. Based on eyewitness accounts, said Dattarai Kubirkar, senior police inspector at Borivali Railway Police Station. Suvarna became increasingly aggressive. The other passengers intervened and tried to calm him down, noting that the passengers were getting wet due to the open doors. However, he refused.
Passengers intervene: In an attempt to defuse the situation, some passengers advised Lohar to move to the opposite entrance of the cabin. The idea was to get him away from Suvarna and end the quarrel. While the passengers tried to reason with the accused, none of them succeeded About 50 passengers Physically restrain him.
Attack: Police said Suvarna continued to hurl abuses at Lohar even after they broke up. Then, between Goregaon and Malad stations, he allegedly unzipped his bag, took out a knife and walked towards Lohar. He is accused of stabbing the 22-year-old three to four times in the chest and stomach inside the moving train.
Escape in Borivali: When the train entered platform number 6 at Borivali station at around 11.04 pm, Suvarna jumped off the bus and ran away before the train came to a complete stop, police said.
The race to save Lohar: At around 11.07pm, GRP and RPF personnel reached the cabin after receiving information about the stabbing. Lohar was taken to the medical emergency room at Borivali station and was later shifted to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali. Despite treatment, he died of his injuries in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The trail of surveillance cameras leads to the accused: Meanwhile, the GRP police launched a massive search operation. Seven police teams were formed and investigators examined more than 40 CCTV footage stretching from Borivali to Panvel, Khobirkar said.
The chase ends in Panvel: CCTV footage helped identify and trace Suvarna, who was arrested in Panvel. “We got the description of the accused through video recordings of the passengers. After attacking Lohar, the accused was wearing black pants and a black shirt, walking in the cabin carrying the knife,” Khobirkar said.
