Man killed on Mumbai local during fight over keeping doors open

Mumbai: A 22-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death by a co-passenger on a Mumbai local train during an argument over whether the doors should be kept open amid the rains, in the second such incident this year, officials said on Wednesday, June 24.

The accused, subsequently identified as 30-year-old Sachin Ramesh Suvarna, was arrested hours later following a massive manhunt, which included the scanning of footage from nearly 400 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, an official said. 

Victim Mayank Lohar was fatally assaulted by Suvarna inside a first-class compartment on Tuesday, June 23, which also marked the arrival of monsoon in the city, between Andheri and Borivali railway stations in the western suburbs, he said. 

Officials said Lohar and Suvarna got into an altercation as the train, a Churchgate-Nallasopara fast local, pulled into the Andheri station at 10.42 pm.

Stabbed with sharp weapon

One of them wanted the doors to be kept open, while the other objected, citing the rains. During the argument, Suvarna, who works at the Sahar Cargo complex of the Mumbai airport, pulled out “sattu” (a sharp weapon) from his possession and allegedly stabbed Lohar in the abdomen and chest, he said.

Lohar suffered grievous injuries and collapsed, while Suvarna, a resident of Mira Road, jumped out of the train at Borivali station before it came to a halt and ran away. 

The youth was rushed to a nearby medical facility with the help of Government Railway Police (GRP) and personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the official said. He was then taken to a civic-run hospital, where doctors declared him dead. 

Sharing more details, the Western Railway administration said the train reached Borivali station at 11.04 pm, and GRP and RPF personnel reached the coach within three minutes and mobilised medical staff, along with a stretcher and porters.

The victim was brought to the emergency medical room at the station at 11.22 pm, where he was examined by a doctor. 

Acting on medical advice, railway authorities coordinated his transfer to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali by an ambulance at 11.42 pm, with GRP and RPF personnel accompanying him during transit, an official said.

The railway administration also secured CCTV footage and other evidence and handed them over to the investigating agencies.

Senior railway officials visited Borivali station around 1 am and reviewed the incident, he said. 

400 CCTVs scanned to catch accused

GRP formed seven investigation teams consisting of officers and staff from police stations and crime branches under the city’s Western Zone, he said.

The teams scanned footage from over 400 CCTV cameras installed at Borivali, Andheri, Mira Road, and Nallasopara railway stations, as well as adjoining entry-exit points of the city, he said.

“With the help of technical intelligence and other inputs, the attacker was identified from the footage and tracked down to Panvel,” a senior railway police official said.

The weapon used in the crime is yet to be recovered, he said, adding that Suvarna’s interrogation was underway.

As per the official, Suvarna went home after the murder and told his father that he had an altercation on the local train. Around Tuesday midnight, he left his house fearing arrest and had planned to leave Mumbai, he said. 

The incident is the second stabbing reported on the Western Railway suburban network this year. In February, Alok Singh, a 32-year-old lecturer at a Vile Parle college, was allegedly stabbed during an altercation while attempting to get off a train at Malad station. Police had arrested the accused, Omkar Shinde, in that case.