A routine commute home turned fatal for 22-year-old Mayank Lohar on Tuesday night after an argument over closing the doors of a Mumbai local train during heavy rain allegedly escalated into a deadly stabbing.
Lohar, a Virar resident employed at Westside's Andheri outlet, was travelling in the first-class compartment of a Churchgate-Nalasopara local when he was attacked. He later died of his injuries in the hospital.
Police arrested the accused, 30-year-old Roshan Suvarna, from Panvel within hours of the incident. Suvarna, a Mira-Bhayandar resident, works as a barcode maker in the packaging section of Mumbai airport's cargo hub.
Investigators said the confrontation began over whether the coach's doors should remain open during the downpour. The disagreement started when Lohar and Suvarna boarded the Churchgate-Nalasopara local at Andheri around 10.42 pm on Tuesday.
As rain lashed the city, an argument erupted inside the first-class compartment over whether the doors should be kept open or shut. Lohar reportedly wanted them closed to prevent rainwater from splashing inside, while Suvarna insisted they remain open.
Tensions rose as the train moved between Andheri and Borivali, said Dattaray Khuperkar, senior police inspector of Borivali railway police station, based on eyewitness accounts. Suvarna grew increasingly aggressive.
Fellow passengers stepped in and tried to calm him down, pointing out that commuters were getting drenched because of the open doors. However, he refused.
In an attempt to defuse the situation, some passengers advised Lohar to move to the opposite entrance of the compartment. The idea was to distance him from Suvarna and bring the quarrel to an end.
However, Suvarna continued hurling abuses at Lohar even after the two were separated. 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.
As the train entered platform number 6 at Borivali station at around 11.04 pm, Suvarna allegedly jumped off the coach and fled before the train could even completely halt, police said.
Around 11.07 pm, GRP and RPF personnel reached the compartment after receiving information about the stabbing. Lohar was rushed to the Emergency Medical Room at Borivali station and later shifted to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali.
Despite treatment, he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Wednesday.
The GRP launched a large-scale search operation. Khuperkar said seven police teams were formed and investigators examined over 40 CCTV footage spanning Borivali to Panvel.
The surveillance camera's footage helped identify and track down Suvarna, who was arrested in Panvel.
