Seventeen children between the ages of 12 and 15, who were called to a studio in Mumbai's Powai on pretext of an audition, were held hostage for three-and-a-half hours Thursday afternoon by a man carrying an airgun and an inflammable spray.
The 50-year-old man, identified as Rohit Arya from Pune, was later shot dead in a massive joint operation launched by the Mumbai police and fire brigade.
As he held the children hostage, Arya released a video in an eerily calm tone where he said he had no intention to hurt the children but wanted to speak to certain people to help him recover ₹2 crore that the Maharashtra education department owed him. Arya reportedly used to make short films and had worked with Maharashtra government for a campaign.
Accompanied by their parents, the children reportedly reached Arya's studio in Powai on Thursday morning which Arya had rented at Mahavir Classic, a commercial-cum-residential building four days ago. The parents waited outside as the kids went in for the audition. However, parents grew anxious as none of the kids stepped out even for lunch till 1 pm, nor could the parents access the theatre.
In the meantime, people in the adjacent building saw some children crying and pleading for help from behind the closed glass windows of the theatre. They alerted the local police at 1.45 pm, an earlier report mentioned. Arya, who had locked the children in along with two female and one young male assistant, allegedly put theft sensors on the doors of the theatre which would alert him to anyone trying to get in.
Police reached the spot on Thursday afternoon and engaged Arya in negotiations while two teams climbed up the duct line of the building with the help from fire brigade. One team barged through the first floor bathroom to reach the hall where the children were held hostage. The other team cut the glass wall and entered the hall from the other side.
Mumbai Fire Brigade Station officer Abhijit Sonawane said that they received a call from the police about the development at around 3 pm.
After a tense standoff with the police, Rohit Arya was shot dead by Amol Waghmare of the anti-terrorist cell of the Powai police station after he entered the studio hall from the bathroom. He fired a round at Arya, hitting him in the chest and was taken to Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Hospital in Jogeshwari where he was declared dead.
Also Read: Mumbai hostage drama ends, captor Rohit Arya killed, kids safe
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