The Railway Police have made a fresh breakthrough in the murder of Mayank Lohar, who was stabbed to death on a Mumbai local train. Although the accused had already been arrested, police have now recovered the knife allegedly used in the murder with the help of a viral video of the incident.
The police arrested the accused, Roshan Suvarna and produced him before the magistrate's court on Tuesday, from where his police custody was extended till July 6.
What was the incident?
Last week, Roshan Suvarna stabbed Mayank Lohar after a minor argument in the first-class compartment of a local train between Andheri and Borivali stations. The argument centred on keeping the compartment door closed.
At the time of interrogation, the accused admitted that he was carrying the knife in his bag for the last four to five months. He said that seven months back he acquired this knife, which has a sharp maroon colored handle, from the warehouse of Amazon (where his friend works). He had discarded the same after committing the murder after getting down at Borivali station.
Police initially searched the area indicated by the accused but were unable to recover the weapon. However, after the video of the incident went viral, the manager of a restaurant near Borivali station contacted the police. The restaurant staff had found the knife in an alley near Platforms 2 and 3.
Unaware of its significance, the staff had kept the knife in a cardboard box inside the restaurant's staff room. Police later recovered it and confirmed that it was the weapon allegedly used in the murder.
Police are now trying to determine why the accused carried the knife for so long, whether it had been used in previous crimes, and the exact motive for the murder.
Advocate Jaywant Patil, representing the accused, opposed the extension of police custody before the court. However, the court granted the police additional time for investigation and extended the custody until July 6.