Man Stabbed to Death on Mumbai Train Over Door Argument

MUMBAI: A 21-year-old clothing store staffer returning home during heavy rain was stabbed to death by a 30-yearold co-passenger following an argument over keeping the door closed in a first class coach of a Churchgate-Nalasopara train Tuesday night. Police sources said Roshan Suvarna of Mira-Bhayander felt humiliated after being told off for opening the door and pulled out a large knife from a bag and stabbed Virar resident Mayank Lohar in the chest and abdomen repeatedly as others looked on in terror. He was caught in Panvel while allegedly planning an escape to his hometown in Karnataka. When the two men — they were standing near the door —had an argument, they were separated by co-passengers, but the suspect went after Lohar. A video recorded by a passenger showed Suvarna brandishing the knife after the killing and threatening onlookers. Police said Suvarna, who makes barcodes for an organisation, had had a squabble with an auto driver earlier and they are probing whether he was drunk. The knife is yet to be recovered. He told police he bought it online for a friend. So far, police have not come across any prior case against him.

Passengers separated duo, killer returned to stab youth Police probing the stabbing in a train said both the victim, Mayank Lohar, and the suspect, Roshan Suvarna, boarded at Andheri station at 10.42pm. They stood near one of the doors, which were kept shut to keep the rain out. Suvarna reportedly opened the door and rainwater splashed a few passengers. Lohar shut it again, which allegedly triggered an argument between him and Suvarna. According to police, there was a minor scuffle between the two, following which copassengers came out in Lohar’s support and a few of them manhandled Suvarna. They separated the two men and sent them towards different exits of the coach. Police suspect Suvarna felt humiliated after being manhandled and blamed Lohar for it. When the train was between Goregaon and Malad stations, he took a large knife out of his bag and stabbed Lohar in the chest and the abdomen three to four times. Lohar lost consciousness. As the train neared Borivli station, Suvarna hopped off. Police arrived within minutes. Lohar was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead around midnight. Borivli GRP formed seven teams to look for Suvarna and scoured through footage from 400 cameras through Tuesday and early Wednesday. Cameras had captured him exiting from Borivli West and taking an auto for his home. “He did not speak to anyone about the incident and intended to flee to his hometown in Karnataka. We were able to trace his family in Mira-Bhayander and track his location to Panvel,” said a police official.

The killing raised concerns over passenger safety. Prior to the stabbing of the college teacher in Jan, a commuter standing near the door of a local was kicked by a cotraveller after an argument, causing him to fall on the tracks between Borivli and Kandivli stations in Nov 2024. The Tuesday incident led to demands for mandatory metal detectors and baggage screening at all railway stations, similar to the system in place for Metro stations, but officials pointed out feasibility issues. Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, a commuter welfare group, asked how a person carrying a weapon was able to enter undetected, and demanded effective screening through functional equipment, automatic door-closing locals and AI-based CCTV surveillance. Police officials said lack of access control at railway stations is the biggest challenge for security. “Metro has turnstile gates accompanied by mandatory baggage checking, but the sheer volume of passengers on the railways makes it tough to examine what each of them is carrying,” said an official.