Andheri barcode manufacturer remanded for fatal stabbing inside local train
A 30-year-old man who worked in Andheri was remanded to five days of police custody by the Borivali magistrate court on Thursday for allegedly stabbing and killing a 22-year-old passenger inside a moving local train. The incident occurred late Tuesday night between Malad and Borivali. The accused, Roshan Babu Suvarna, who has worked with his father as a barcode manufacturer in Andheri for the past five years, was arrested in Panvel while attempting to flee to Mangaluru.
The victim, Mayank Ramesh Lohar, was stabbed multiple times inside a first-class compartment following a dispute over closing the train doors during heavy rain. According to the Borivali Government Railway Police (GRP), passengers had requested Lohar to shut the doors, which Suvarna objected to. The ensuing argument escalated, and some passengers punched Suvarna before moving Lohar to the other end of the coach.
An agitated Suvarna then pulled a newly purchased kitchen knife from his bag, tore off its paper cover, and attacked Lohar. Eyewitnesses reported that the attack happened too quickly for anyone to intervene.
Following the attack, Suvarna got off at Borivali station and fled. GRP officers traced his movements using CCTV footage from the station and traffic signals, which led them to his residence in Mira Road. Suvarna's father recognized him in the footage and told police that his son had left for Panvel. GRP officers tracked Suvarna's phone and arrested him there.
During the court hearing on Thursday, GRP officers sought a seven-day custody period to locate the murder weapon, which they believe Suvarna discarded after exiting Borivali station. The court instead remanded Suvarna to police custody for five days.
Senior Police Inspector Dattaray Khuperkar of the Borivali GRP stated that while Suvarna confessed to the stabbing, he has refused to cooperate regarding the location of the knife. Suvarna told police he bought the knife for ₹50 from a friend who works for an online retail aggregator.
The police plan to conduct a test identification parade with the passengers who witnessed the attack.
