Rohit Arya, the man accused of taking 17 children hostage in Mumbai’s Powai area on Thursday, has died after being injured in an exchange of gunfire with police.
According to the police, Arya fired at officers using an air gun during the rescue operation, prompting police to return one round of fire. He was taken to hospital with gunshot wounds but succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
The tense standoff unfolded inside RA Studios, a small film studio in Powai, where Arya had allegedly lured a group of children under the pretext of conducting acting auditions. Police said the children, aged between eight and fourteen, were held hostage for several hours before being rescued unharmed.
A team from Powai Police Station reportedly received a distress call around 1:45 p.m. and reached the spot within minutes. Officers began negotiations with Arya, who refused to release the children. When he threatened to harm them, police launched a forced entry through a bathroom, rescuing all 17 children safely.
Before the incident, Arya had released a video in which he claimed to have chosen hostage-taking “instead of dying by suicide.” In the recording, he identified himself as Rohit Arya and said, “Instead of dying by suicide, I have made a plan and am holding some children hostage here.”
Also Read : Mumbai Police save 20 children from Powai studio hostage drama
He described his actions as a form of protest against what he alleged to be “systemic betrayal” by officials. Arya demanded “simple conversations, moral demands, and ethical accountability,” insisting he was “not a terrorist” and that his act was not motivated by money.
In the video, Arya warned that “the slightest wrong move” would lead him to “set the place on fire.” Police have since recovered an air gun and several chemical containers from the scene, which investigators believe he used to intimidate officers during the standoff.
Police officials confirmed that an investigation has been launched to determine the motive behind Arya’s actions and to assess any potential lapses in the security arrangements at the studio.
The children were later reunited with their families, and psychological counselling is being arranged to help them cope with the trauma of the ordeal.
The incident, which unfolded in broad daylight, sent shockwaves across Mumbai and raised questions about safety protocols in private studios that often host children for film and acting auditions.
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