The family of 22-year-old Mayank Lohar, who was fatally stabbed inside a Mumbai local train following an argument over keeping the train doors open during heavy rain, has demanded the death penalty for the accused, saying only the strictest punishment would bring justice to their shattered family.
Mayank’s sister, struggling to come to terms with the loss, said the family had lost everything after his death and wanted the harshest punishment possible.
“We want justice. The punishment should be the death penalty. I have also lost everything, so the punishment should be death,” she said.
The shocking incident took place late on Tuesday night aboard a crowded Mumbai suburban train and has once again raised concerns over passenger safety on the city’s lifeline railway network.
Mumbai Local Train Murder Sparks Outrage
According to the Government Railway Police (GRP), the incident occurred around 10.50 pm inside the first-class compartment of the Churchgate–Nallasopara fast local train while it was travelling between Andheri and Borivali stations.
Heavy rainfall had caused water to enter the compartment, leading to a disagreement among passengers over whether the doors should remain open or closed.
Police said the argument soon escalated into a violent confrontation involving 30-year-old Sachin Ramesh Suvarna.
Investigators alleged that Suvarna pulled out a sharp weapon and stabbed Mayank multiple times in the chest and abdomen.
The young man collapsed inside the coach as horrified passengers watched in disbelief. Meanwhile, the accused allegedly jumped off the moving train near Borivali station before it came to a halt and escaped from the spot.
Railway officials, personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police rushed to the compartment once the train reached Borivali station.
Mayank was initially taken to the station’s emergency medical room and later shifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Videos recorded after the incident quickly spread across social media, showing the accused standing inside the packed coach holding a bloodstained knife while Mayank lay motionless in a pool of blood.
The disturbing visuals sparked widespread anger among commuters and prompted authorities to launch an intensive search operation.
To trace the suspect, railway police formed seven special investigation teams comprising officers from various railway police stations and the Western Railway crime branch.
Investigators examined footage from more than 400 CCTV cameras installed at Borivali, Andheri, Mira Road and Nallasopara railway stations, along with surveillance cameras placed at entry and exit points nearby.
Using CCTV footage, technical analysis and intelligence inputs, police identified the suspect as Sachin Ramesh Suvarna, a resident of Mira Road East.
Within 24 hours of the crime, officers tracked him down and arrested him from the Panvel area of Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.
Police said Suvarna returned home after the stabbing and informed his father that he had been involved in an altercation aboard a local train.
Fearing arrest, he allegedly left home around midnight and was planning to flee Mumbai when investigators located him.
Officials said the weapon used in the crime has not yet been recovered and the accused is currently being questioned.
This is the second fatal stabbing reported on Mumbai’s Western Railway suburban network this year.
In February, a 32-year-old college lecturer was allegedly stabbed to death during an altercation while attempting to get down from a train at Malad station.
Mayank’s family has urged authorities to ensure strict punishment for the accused and to introduce stronger safety measures for passengers travelling on Mumbai’s suburban railway network.
The incident has once again highlighted concerns over overcrowding, commuter disputes and security arrangements inside Mumbai’s local trains, which carry millions of passengers every day.
