Borivali GRP recover local train murder weapon found by hotel workers
The Borivali Government Railway Police (GRP) have recovered the knife used in the June 23 murder of a 22-year-old man inside a local train, after hotel employees in Borivali West recognized the weapon from news reports and handed it over. The recovery provided a major breakthrough in the investigation, leading a Borivali court on Tuesday to extend the police custody of the accused, Roshan Suverna, until July 6.
The victim, Mayank Lohar, was stabbed to death inside a first-class compartment of a Churchgate-Nallasopara fast local train between Andheri and Borivali stations. The incident occurred on the night of June 23 after Lohar reportedly asked Suverna to shut the train door because rainwater was entering the coach. The argument escalated, and Suverna allegedly stabbed Lohar multiple times.
Following the attack, Suverna allegedly escaped through the subway towards the west side of Borivali station, throwing the knife along the way. Although investigators searched the route with the accused on June 25, they initially failed to locate the weapon.
The breakthrough came when Kundan Kumar, an employee at a hotel in Borivali West, found the knife near the exit of Platforms 2 and 3 at Borivali railway station on the night of the murder while returning from shopping. Believing it had been discarded, he handed it to his colleague, Sagar Kumar.
Sagar Kumar stored the knife inside a cardboard box in the hotel's staff room and informed the management. After watching news reports about the murder, the hotel staff realized the significance of the weapon and handed it over to the Borivali GRP on June 29. Police confirmed the recovered knife matched the weapon used in the crime.
During interrogation, Suverna reportedly told police he had procured the knife nearly seven months prior from an Amazon warehouse where his friend, Tushar Sarvaiya, worked. Sarvaiya was questioned by investigators and corroborated the statement.
With the custody extension, the Borivali GRP told the court they are now investigating why Suverna had been carrying the knife for months and whether it had been used in any previous offences. Police will also book Suverna under Sections 37(1)(a) read with 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act for carrying the weapon.
Suverna’s lawyer opposed the extension of custody, arguing that the prosecution's investigation is flawed, procedurally defective, and affected by irregularities.
