Mumbai: Police have recovered a pistol, petrol, a flammable rubber solution, and a lighter from the studio in Powai, where Rohit Arya had held several children hostage.
Rohit Arya's Body Sent For Postmortem
Earlier on Friday morning, Arya’s body was brought to the JJ Hospital mortuary for postmortem by the Crime Branch team. The 50-year-old filmmaker from Pune was shot during the rescue operation and later declared dead at 5:15 pm on Thursday.
Details On Hostage Situation
The three-hour hostage crisis unfolded around 1:30 pm at R A Studio, located in the Mahavir Classic building, Powai, when Powai police received an alert about a man holding children captive. The children, aged 10 to 12 years, had been attending auditions for a web series for the past two days.
Rohit Arya Releases Video After Holding 17 Kids Hostage
Before police intervention, Arya released a video message explaining his motives. In the clip, he said he had chosen to take hostages instead of committing suicide, insisting he was 'not a terrorist' and had no demand for money. Arya claimed he only wanted to ask some moral and ethical questions and warned that any wrong move by the authorities could lead him to set the studio on fire, potentially harming the children.
“I want to speak to some people… I should not be held responsible if anything happens,” Arya said in the video, adding that after the conversation, he would walk out. His demands, however, remained vague.
The Mumbai Police swiftly mobilised teams from the Quick Response Team (QRT), Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, Fire Brigade, and negotiators. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone X) Datta Nalawade, officers entered the building through a duct using a ladder to reach the first floor, where Arya was holding the hostages.
During the rescue, Arya reportedly lunged toward the officers with an air gun and was hit by a police bullet during the ensuing scuffle. “All 17 children and two adults were rescued safely,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satyanarayan, confirming the operation’s success around 4:15 pm.
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