3 min readMumbaiJun 25, 2026 11:09 PM IST
The man accused of fatally stabbing a 22-year-old commuter inside a Mumbai local train had been carrying a knife in his bag for nearly two months while travelling regularly on the suburban network without being detected, exposing glaring gaps in railway security.
According to the Government Railway Police (GRP), Roshan Suvarna (30), who has been arrested for the murder of Mayank Lohar, routinely travelled between Mira Road and Andheri in first-class and AC local trains with the weapon in his bag. Police said he held a monthly AC local train pass.
Investigators said Suvarna, who ran a barcode-printing and photocopying business near the Andheri cargo complex with his father, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when he repeatedly stabbed Lohar in the chest and stomach inside a moving Churchgate-Nalasopara fast local on Tuesday night.
The revelation has once again brought the spotlight on the poor state of security screening at Mumbai’s suburban railway stations.
Five months ago, a 32-year-old college lecturer, Alok Singh, was stabbed by a fellow passenger at Malad station after a minor altercation inside a local train. The accused in that case, Omkar Shinde, was also carrying a sharp weapon when he attacked Singh.
Despite the installation of baggage scanners, door-frame metal detectors, hand-held metal detectors and CCTV cameras at several stations after the 26/11 terror attacks, most of the equipment is either defunct or no longer in use. Railway police officials said many of the security devices became non-functional over the years and were never repaired or replaced.
As a result, baggage screening is virtually absent at most suburban stations. GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel mainly patrol platforms and respond to emergencies, while random frisking is carried out only on the basis of suspicion.
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A GRP officer said random checks often draw objections from commuters, making enforcement difficult.
“The railway authorities should install baggage scanners at all stations and ensure adequate deployment of RPF personnel to screen luggage so that weapons are not carried onto trains,” the officer said.
Another senior GRP officer said it was impossible to physically screen every commuter given the daily passenger volume, multiple entry and exit points, and limited manpower.
“Checking every passenger is not practical with the existing infrastructure. Such screening can only be implemented if suburban stations adopt a Metro-like
security system and the police strength is increased,” the officer said.
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Suvarna was produced before a Borivali court on Thursday, which remanded him to police custody till June 30.
During questioning, Suvarna told investigators that he had picked up two knives from a friend’s kitchen knife shop two to three months ago. He claimed he intended to use the smaller knife for cutting barcode paper at work, while the larger one remained in his bag. However, another senior GRP officer said Suvarna’s family claimed he carried the knife for self-defence as he often returned home late at night.
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