A man was killed in a police operation in Mumbai, India, after he had taken 17 children hostage. Police launched a rescue operation and safely freed all the children. The incident occurred Thursday at RA Studio in the Powai area. Arya was shot during an exchange of gunfire and later died in hospital, according to Indian news outlet NDTV.
Police confirmed that the deceased was Rohit Arya. During the rescue attempt, he fired at officers with an airgun, prompting police to return a single shot in self-defense. Arya was taken to hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment.
According to reports, Arya had brought the children—aged between 8 and 14—to a small film studio under the pretense of a casting “audition.” He held them captive for about two hours before a special police unit successfully rescued them.
Police said they received a call at the Powai station at around 1:45 PM and immediately dispatched a team to the site. Negotiations were attempted at first, but Arya refused to release the hostages and threatened to harm them. Police eventually entered the building through a bathroom access point and carried out the operation.
Shortly before the standoff, Arya released a video in which he said, “Instead of committing suicide, I’ve taken some children hostage. I have certain moral and ethical demands. One wrong move, and I’ll set this place on fire.”
He claimed that his act was not motivated by money or terrorism.
Police recovered an airgun and several chemical bottles from the studio, which Arya had apparently used to intimidate the hostages. Reports suggest that the children had been lured there with the promise of a web series audition.
Arya had reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with a government project, claiming that the state government owed him 20 million rupees under the PLC Sanitation Monitor Project. In 2013, he had launched a campaign called Let’s Change, aimed at encouraging schoolchildren to become “cleanliness ambassadors.”
He also alleged that former education minister Deepak Kesarkar had given him two checks for 700,000 and 800,000 rupees, promising more payment later, which he never received.
Mumbai police said all the rescued children were physically unharmed but may have suffered psychological trauma.
A Powai police officer stated, “The situation could have been far worse, but swift action ensured the safety of all the children.”
The Crime Investigation Department is now conducting a full investigation into the incident.
