A 22-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death by a fellow passenger aboard a Mumbai local train following an argument over whether the train doors should remain open during heavy rains, railway police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as 30-year-old Sachin Ramesh Suvarna, was arrested within hours after an extensive manhunt that involved scanning footage from nearly 400 CCTV cameras across the suburban rail network.
The incident occurred late Tuesday night inside a first-class compartment of a Churchgate-Nallasopara fast local train between Andheri and Borivali stations.
The victim, Mayank Lohar, and Suvarna reportedly got into a heated altercation as the train arrived at Andheri station around 10.42 pm.
According to investigators, one passenger wanted the train doors to remain open, while the other opposed the idea because of the rain. During the argument, Suvarna allegedly pulled out a sharp weapon and stabbed Lohar multiple times in the abdomen and chest.
Lohar collapsed inside the coach, while Suvarna allegedly jumped off the train before it halted at Borivali station and fled.
Railway police and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel rushed to the compartment and arranged immediate medical assistance. Lohar was first taken to a station medical facility and later shifted to a civic hospital, where he was declared dead.
Seven teams of Government Railway Police officers were formed to track down the suspect. Investigators examined footage from more than 400 CCTV cameras at Andheri, Borivali, Mira Road and Nallasopara stations, along with adjoining entry and exit points.
"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.
Police said the weapon used in the attack has not yet been recovered and Suvarna remains under interrogation.
Investigators said Suvarna returned home after the incident and informed his father that he had been involved in an altercation on a local train.
Fearing arrest, he allegedly left home around midnight and was planning to leave Mumbai before he was apprehended.
(With inputs from PTI)