Post by : Rameen Ariff

A tense three-hour hostage crisis in Powai ended Thursday afternoon after 17 children were rescued by police, and the captor, identified as 50-year-old Rohit Arya from Pune, was shot dead during the operation. The incident unfolded at RA Studio in the Mahavir Classic building, where Arya had lured children under the pretext of auditions for a web series.

The ordeal began around 1:30 p.m., when the Powai police station received a distress call reporting children being held inside the studio. Parents waiting outside grew anxious as none of the children emerged. Observant residents noticed children crying behind glass windows and raised the alarm. Quick Response Teams, bomb squads, and the fire brigade immediately rushed to the scene.

Arya, who had rented the studio just four days earlier, threatened to set the studio ablaze if police attempted to enter. During negotiations, he released a chilling video claiming he held the children to demand ₹2 crore allegedly owed to him by the Maharashtra education department for short films and cleanliness campaigns. Arya insisted he was “not a terrorist” and claimed his actions were meant to get answers from officials.

As negotiations failed, two police teams made a covert entry through the building’s duct lines and a bathroom vent, with fire brigade assistance. After Arya refused to surrender, police fired a single round, injuring him in the chest. The children were rescued safely and taken to security, while Arya was declared dead at Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Hospital.

Authorities confirmed that all 17 children, aged 10–15, were unharmed physically, though some were visibly shaken. Police emphasized that meticulous planning and coordination between multiple units were crucial to the safe rescue.

The incident has left Powai residents and authorities shaken. Arya had a history of staging protests over unpaid dues to the education department and had previously suffered an epileptic seizure during one such demonstration in Pune.

This dramatic standoff underscores the dangers of hostage situations and the swift action of Mumbai police, who ensured the safety of all children involved while neutralizing the threat posed by the armed captor.

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