Mumbai hostage drama: 19 rescued from Powai studio, accused shot dead

Mumbai police on Thursday rescued 19 persons, including 17 children, from a studio in Powai area while the man who had held them hostage succumbed to bullet injuries sustained during the operation, officials said.

Rohit Arya, who had released a video statement during the hostage drama that went on for about an hour, was shot by police when he tried to harm the children with an air gun and later died at hospital, an official said. The incident, which happened in broad daylight, triggered panic and a massive police response.

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"All the children are safe," said Satyanaranyan, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order). Arya had apparently called the children -- boys and girls around 15 years old -- for an audition for a web series, the official said. Besides an air gun, Arya was carrying some chemicals, he added.

Tense rescue operation unfolds

Initially, police did not mention that there had been a firing during the operation. Police received a call at about 1.45 pm about a man holding children hostage inside RA Studio in Mahavir Classic building, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade. Initially, police did not mention that there had been a firing during the operation.

Powai police officials along with a Quick Response Team (QRT), Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad and a fire brigade team reached the spot, he said. "It was a challenging operation, because we were negotiating with him without any positive outcome....To save the children's lives was our priority," he added.

Police tried to negotiate with him, but as the talks made no headway, a police team entered the studio through the bathroom, he said. The police further said that Arya, the accused, was mentally ill and that the motive of the kidnapping was unclear.

Children confined inside studio

The incident took place at RA Studio, where acting classes are regularly held. According to reports, Arya was an employee at the studio and also ran a YouTube channel. He had reportedly been conducting auditions at the studio for the past four or five days. On Thursday morning, when nearly 100 children arrived for auditions, he allowed around 80 to leave but kept the rest confined inside.

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The children were believed to be held on the first floor of the building, and some were seen peeking out through the glass windows.

Suspect's video message

Nalawade said police recovered air guns and chemicals at the scene and that the suspect had acted alone.

In a video released by the suspect, who was arrested at the scene, he said he had “made a plan” and taken the children hostage to force conversations with certain people. Police said they mounted a rapid response after the footage circulated.

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Rohit Arya told that he had chosen hostage-taking over suicide to compel unspecified people to talk. He insisted he had no large financial demands, describing his requests as “moral” and “ethical.”

“I am Rohit Arya. Instead of dying by suicide, I have made a plan and am holding some children hostage here,” he said. He warned that “the slightest wrong move from you will trigger me” and threatened to set the studio alight, while insisting he was “not a terrorist” and did not seek money.

“I want simple conversations, and that’s why I’ve taken these children hostage. I’ve held them as part of a plan. If I live, I’ll do it; if I die, someone else will, but it will definitely happen, because the slightest wrong move will trigger me to set this whole place on fire and die in it,” Arya said in the video.