Baba departed for Bombay on Monday, 2 June 1924 with Ardeshir, Ghani, Ramjoo and Vajifdar (who had been staying at Meherabad). They reached Manmad at 12:30 in the afternoon. The journey had been comfortable, since their compartment was not crowded. They had lunch and then transferred to the Bombay passenger train, unknowingly settling in a compartment meant for the military. At the Deolali railway station, Baba sent one of the men to bring tea and dispatched another to buy a newspaper. Within minutes, a railway official came and told them to vacate the compartment, which was to be detached there. It was not easy to move all their heavy luggage, especially when the other compartments were now overcrowded. Baba told Ramjoo to arrange accommodations in a second–class compartment. He went to the booking clerk who explained that it was too late to purchase new tickets, since the train was about to depart.
Ramjoo ran back and found Baba seated alone in a second–class compartment with his luggage. Vajifdar, Ardeshir and Ghani were trying to transfer the remainder of the baggage to the compartment next to the engine. The whistle was blowing, and Ramjoo told Baba that the rest of the mandali had not yet boarded. Hearing this, Baba grabbed his luggage, and he and Ramjoo jumped down from the moving train. But as the train pulled away, Vajifdar, Ardeshir and Ghani were not seen on the platform and, after an inquiry, it was learned that they had boarded before the train had departed.
Baba was somewhat upset by this and asked Ramjoo to rectify the situation. Meanwhile, he sat down and started reading the newspaper. Ramjoo (who had all the tickets with him) sent a telegram to the Igatpuri railway station. Baba asked Ramjoo to find out if a car was available to drive to Igatpuri. Ramjoo approached the stationmaster, who informed him a car could be hired in the town. But he then asked Ramjoo why he was in such a hurry to reach Igatpuri, explaining there was a train to Bombay at nine o'clock, and if he rented a car it would be very expensive.
But Baba wished to leave at once, because he knew that if they didn't a crowd, attracted magnetically to his divine persona, would soon gather around him, as it always did. People would question Baba and not leave him alone. He therefore did not want to remain any longer at Deolali and decided instead to depart for the village of Lahavit, located on the way to Igatpuri.