-1761832660517_v.webp)
- By Chetna Shree
- Thu, 30 Oct 2025 07:30 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Mumbai Hostage Scare: The man, Rohit Arya, who allegedly held 17 children and two adults hostage inside a Powai acting studio for six days, was shot dead in retaliatory firing by Mumbai Police. The Mumbai Police on Thursday stormed into the studio and rescued all the hostages, while the accused was shot and later succumbed to his injuries.
Arya released a video claiming that he wanted to speak to certain individuals and threatened to set the entire studio on fire if his demands were not met. Police received a call about the incident around 1:45 PM and immediately began negotiations with the alleged kidnapper.
However, when the negotiations failed, police stormed into the studio from the bathroom. Arya opened fire at the officers while using the children as human shields. He sustained injuries in the retaliatory firing and later died at the hospital. According to the authorities, the man appeared “mentally unstable.”
Who Was Rohit Arya?
- Rohit Arya was a YouTuber and a school teacher from Nagpur. Prior to the incident, he reportedly led a protest march against Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar, claiming the state government had withheld his Education Department funds, News18 reported.
- To lure his victims, Arya arranged a fake web series audition, inviting around 100 students.
- He released most of them but kept 17 children and two others hostage on the ground floor and first floor of RA Studios in Powai.
- In a video, Arya stated that he wanted to speak to certain people and mentioned “moral demands” without specifying what they are. “I’m not a terrorist, I don’t seek a lot of money, and I want nothing immoral,” he added.
- He was shot in the chest and was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Police are investigating Arya’s motive behind the hostage.