Mumbai: A dispute over keeping a train door closed during heavy rain turned fatal on Mumbai’s suburban railway network after a 21-year-old passenger was allegedly stabbed to death inside a crowded local train. Police have arrested the accused, identified as 30-year-old Roshan Suvarna, within hours of the incident after tracking his movements through hundreds of CCTV cameras.
The shocking incident has once again raised concerns about commuter safety and security on Mumbai’s lifeline, the suburban railway network.
Mumbai passenger killed after argument over train door
According to the police, the incident took place on Tuesday night when both the accused and the victim, identified as 21-year-old Mayank Lohar, boarded a Churchgate-Nalasopara local train from Andheri station at around 10.42 pm.
Heavy rain had prompted passengers to keep one of the train doors shut to prevent water from entering the compartment. Investigators said Roshan Suvarna allegedly opened the door, causing rainwater to splash onto passengers standing nearby.
Mayank Lohar reportedly closed the door again, leading to an argument between the two men. The disagreement soon escalated into a scuffle, forcing fellow passengers to intervene and separate them.
Police said some passengers also confronted Suvarna during the altercation, which investigators believe left him feeling humiliated and angry.
Accused allegedly attacked victim with knife
According to investigators, while the train was travelling between Goregaon and Malad stations, Suvarna allegedly pulled out a knife from his bag and attacked Lohar.
The victim was allegedly stabbed multiple times in the chest and abdomen before collapsing inside the crowded coach.
Passengers watched in shock as the incident unfolded. A video recorded by one of the commuters allegedly showed Suvarna holding the knife and threatening passengers following the attack.
As the train approached Borivli station, the accused allegedly jumped off the train and fled from the scene.
Lohar was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead around midnight.
Police arrest accused within hours
Following the murder, the Borivli Government Railway Police launched an intensive investigation and formed seven separate teams to trace the accused.
Officials scanned footage from nearly 400 CCTV cameras installed at railway stations and nearby locations to reconstruct Suvarna’s movements after the crime.
Investigators found that after getting off the train, the accused took an autorickshaw towards his residence in Mira-Bhayander.
Police said Suvarna returned home and did not disclose details of the incident to anyone. Investigators later discovered that he was allegedly planning to flee to his hometown in Karnataka.
“We were able to trace his family in Mira-Bhayander and subsequently track his location to Panvel,” a police officer said.
The accused was apprehended from Panvel within hours of the incident.
No criminal record, knife yet to be recovered
Police said preliminary investigations revealed that Roshan Suvarna works in barcode-making for an organisation and had no known criminal record.
Investigators are also examining whether he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the attack.
Officials further stated that Suvarna had allegedly been involved in an argument with an autorickshaw driver earlier on the same day.
The knife allegedly used in the murder has not yet been recovered. During questioning, the accused reportedly told police that he had purchased the weapon online for a friend.
Security concerns on Mumbai’s suburban network
The incident has sparked fresh concerns among commuters regarding security arrangements on Mumbai’s suburban trains.
Passenger groups have questioned how an individual carrying a knife managed to board a crowded local train and have demanded stricter baggage screening and enhanced surveillance measures at stations.
Railway officials, however, said implementing airport or Metro-style security checks across the suburban railway network remains challenging because of the massive daily passenger volume and open access at railway stations.
The killing is the second fatal stabbing reported on Mumbai’s suburban railway network this year, intensifying calls for stronger security measures to ensure passenger safety.
The investigation into the incident is continuing, and police are expected to recover the weapon and determine the exact sequence of events leading to the fatal attack.