A scary hostage situation took place in Mumbai’s Powai on Thursday. A 50-year-old man named Rohit Arya locked up 17 children and two adults inside a studio. He later told police he wanted to “have a conversation” with certain people.
The alarm came around 1.30 pm when the Powai police received a call about people trapped inside R A Studio in the Mahavir Classic building.
According to the police, Arya had invited children, both boys and girls around 15 years old, to the studio over the previous two days, claiming they were there for auditions for a web series. Specialist teams, including the Quick Response Team (QRT), the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, and the fire brigade, rushed to the scene to help.
What Arya said in his video
Before police entered the studio, Arya posted a video that quickly spread online. In the clip he spoke calmly and explained why he had taken the children. He said he had chosen hostage-taking instead of suicide and described his act as a way to force answers.
He introduced himself and said his demands were not about money or violence: “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... I am not a terrorist.”
He warned of consequences if provoked and insisted his motive was to force public answers: "I want simple conversations, and that's why I've taken these children hostage. I've held them hostage as part of a plan. If I live, I'll do it. If I die, someone else will, but it will definitely happen. It will happen to these children if they don't suffer any harm."
He also threatened an extreme response to any "wrong move”: "The slightest wrong move from your end will trigger me to set this whole place on fire and die in it. Whether I die or not, the children will be unnecessarily hurt and traumatised definitely."
Arya denied responsibility for any harm should it occur and framed himself as a person seeking talk-based solutions: "If something happens to them, I shouldn't be held responsible for it. Those who are unnecessarily triggering me should be held responsible, cause a normal person just wants to talk."
"I am going to provide a solution just by talking. Please don't trigger me to do some harm to anybody," he added.
Police rescue and aftermath
The police initially tried to negotiate with Arya but were forced to act when talks failed. To reach the children and the two adults, officers entered the studio through a bathroom window with the help of a ladder brought by the fire brigade. During the rescue, 17 children, a senior citizen, and another man were brought out safely.
Officials found Arya carrying an air gun and some chemicals inside the studio. He was shot during the rescue and later taken to hospital. Police confirmed Arya died at 5.15 pm.
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