5 days of planning, 3 hours of terror: Inside story of Rohit Arya's Mumbai studio hostage drama

Rohit Arya

The hostage crisis that stunned Mumbai on Thursday was not a spontaneous act of violence but the culmination of a meticulously planned operation by a man who used his own professional credibility as a weapon, according to a TOI report.

Rohit Arya, a 45-year-old social entrepreneur with a history of working on government campaigns, spent five days laying the groundwork for the siege. Under the guise of holding legitimate auditions for a web series, he secured the use of RA Studio in Powai, creating a convincing facade that drew in his unsuspecting victims.

The final casting call was held on Thursday, attracting 17 children, aged 12 to 15, who had travelled from Navi Mumbai, Kolhapur, Satara and other parts of the state. A security guard at the Mahavir Classik building, where the studio is housed, reportedly confirmed that the auditions had begun at 10 am, with the children arriving earlier.

Arya’s planning extended beyond the venue. As reported by TOI, he had been living for several days in a relative's flat in Chembur, a detail that suggests premeditation in his movements leading up to the event.

The carefully constructed plan swung into action when Arya initiated the hostage situation. He then moved to control the narrative externally, distributing a video statement to media outlets. In the clip, he explicitly stated that his actions were deliberate. “Instead of dying by suicide, I have held some children hostage,” he said in a video message released from the Chembur flat, framing his extreme act as a calculated alternative.

He further revealed his intent was to force a dialogue, saying he wanted “simple answers” and “to be heard.” His tone then turned menacing, as he threatened to set the studio ablaze if authorities intervened, demonstrating an awareness of the leverage he held.

Police officials cited by TOI confirmed that Arya, who owned the company Apsira Media, refused to cooperate with negotiators for nearly two hours. Even an appeal concerning one hostage, a girl who her parents said suffered from seizures, failed to sway him. An official noted he appeared calm during discussions, maintaining control over the situation until the very end.

The siege concluded only after a police commando team stormed the studio. Police stated that Arya fired first with an air gun, prompting them to shoot back in self-defence. He was later declared dead in hospital.

The incident exposes how Arya’s established reputation as a social entrepreneur — an alumnus of Symbiosis International University and ISB, Mumbai, who had worked with actors on government initiatives — provided the perfect cover to orchestrate a dramatic and ultimately fatal confrontation.