Panic had spread through Mumbai’s Powai area on Thursday afternoon. Parents waiting outside RA Studios were told their children, who had gone inside for an audition, were not coming out.
Within hours, the site turned into the centre of a tense police operation that ended with 17 children rescued and the man who had held them hostage dead from a gunshot wound.
At around 1:30 pm, Powai Police Station received a call that a person had taken several children hostage at Mahavir Classic building.
According to police officials, the man was identified as 50-year-old Rohit Arya, who had been conducting what he claimed were auditions for a web series over the last few days.
“At about 1.30 pm, Powai police station received information that a person had taken 17 children hostage at Mahavir Classic building. The Mumbai Police team conducted a rescue operation and safely freed all the children. During the operation, while rescuing the children, the person got injured, was immediately rushed to the hospital and later declared dead,” deputy commissioner of police Datta Nalawade said.
The standoff
Soon after receiving the call, police teams, including personnel from the quick response team, bomb detection and disposal squad, and the fire brigade, reached the building.
The fire brigade later said they had received an emergency call around 3 pm.
“We cut open the grills with our hydraulic tools and made access for the police. They entered inside and now all are rescued,” said station officer Abhijit Sonawane.
When police arrived, Arya had already released a video in which he explained his intentions.
“I am Rohit Arya. Instead of (committing) suicide, I made a plan and have taken a few children hostage....I have very simple demands. Very moral, ethical demands. I have some questions. I want to speak to some people and on their answers, if there are any counter-questions, I want to ask them. But I want these answers. I do not want anything else. I am not a terrorist, nor do I have any demand for money. I want to make simple conversations,” he said in the video.
In the same clip, he added a threat: “The slightest wrong move from your end may trigger me to set this whole place on fire....whether I die or not, the children will be unnecessarily hurt, traumatised for sure....I should not be held responsible.”
Senior Inspector Jeevan Sonawane of Powai Police said Arya appeared mentally unstable. “All the children are safe and handed to their guardians. Other details will be shared after due verification,” he said.
Police response
Negotiations began as officers tried to convince Arya to release the hostages. When talks failed, police moved in. Using the opening created by the fire brigade, a team entered the studio through a bathroom window.
“It was a challenging operation, because we were negotiating with him without any positive outcome....To save the children's lives was our priority,” said DCP Nalawade.
Arya fired an air gun at the police during the operation. Officers responded with one round of fire. Arya was hit in the right side of his chest.
He was rushed to Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari, where he was declared dead around 5.15 pm. His body was later shifted to J.J. Hospital for post-mortem. Police have deployed personnel outside both hospitals.
Reactions and background
Police later confirmed that Arya had demanded to speak with former Maharashtra education minister Deepak Kesarkar.
“Rohit Arya had a concept called ‘Swachhata Monitor.’ He was also assigned some work under ‘Mera School Ek Sundar School Hai.’ However, he took money directly from them. This was the department's view. He should have resolved the matter by coordinating with the department because the government has a proper way of functioning. Everyone must work within that framework. Holding anyone hostage like this is wrong,” Kesarkar said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Milind Narvekar praised the police for their action.
“The horrific incident of Rohit Arya taking children hostage in Powai is deeply shocking. I commend the swift and courageous action by the Mumbai Police in ensuring the safety of all the children and adults involved,” he posted on X.
Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad said, "This incident happened in Mumbai, and at first, I was shocked. I hold the government as responsible for this as I do Rohit Arya."
Dinesh Goswami, who was at the spot, said the incident caught everyone off guard.
“An audition was ongoing here for the past 3 days, the man (Rohit Arya) extended it by 3 more days. Suddenly, a message was received that he kidnapped 17 children. When these children did not come out for lunch, the parents panicked. Someone might have called up the police. When the police arrived, it was found that the children had been kidnapped. Mumbai Police team went in and safely rescued the children. It should be investigated whether the studio is legal or illegal, the perpetrator should be given strict punishment.”
The aftermath
According to joint commissioner of police (law and order) Satyanaranyan, “All the children are safe.” Police said the children were between 8 and 14 years old. Seventeen children, a senior citizen, and another man were rescued.
Investigators recovered an air gun and chemicals from the studio. The police are verifying Arya’s background, his mental health history, and whether RA Studios had the required permissions to conduct auditions.