Mumbai: On Thursday, when the hostage incident occurred, three people — Umesh Tiwari and Arya’s two production team members, Tanaji Kale and Amol Durgude — arrived at the Powai Police Station around 2 pm and informed the police about the situation. The police then rushed to the spot. Umesh Tiwari, who claimed he was the first to inform the police via a mobile call, runs a tea and bhurji-pav stall outside the R.A. Studio in Powai.
He told The FPJ, “Arya sent videos to all parents except me. I reached my stall around 1.30 pm when I heard crying and shouting. I thought a film shoot was going on. A day earlier, a shoot had taken place where a building was shown catching fire. During that shoot, the parents were running and screaming as part of the scene. So, I assumed that on Thursday, too, a similar shoot was happening. Along with two or three friends, I went to watch it. But when we went near the parents, they were crying, bowing before us, and pleading for help to save their children. They told us that their children had been kidnapped inside the studio.”
He further stated, “Redevelopment work was going on in the building. A friend and I tried to climb up. While we were doing so, Arya moved aside a black curtain and pointed a revolver at us through the window. He threatened that if anything happened to the children, we would be held responsible. At 2.17 p.m., I dialled 100, and on the very first attempt, the police answered. I informed them about the incident, and the police arrived here at 2.29 pm.”
Tiwari added that seven children of his relatives and three children of his friends had given auditions, and his 12-year-old son, Prince Tiwari, had been selected for the final round. The Mumbai Crime Branch, investigating the sensational Rohit Arya encounter case in Powai, has discovered shocking facts indicating that Arya had planned to take children hostage nearly three months before the incident. Investigators said Arya executed the act after careful planning and consideration. The Crime Branch on Saturday recorded a detailed statement of Assistant Police Inspector Amol Waghmare in connection with the Powai hostage case.
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Apart from him, statements of around 10 to 22 other individuals have also been recorded. Rohit Arya’s wife has not yet responded, and her statement will be recorded soon. Crime Branch Unit 8 is probing the hostage and attempted murder case, while Unit 2 is investigating Arya’s death, registered as an accidental death report (ADR) at the Powai Police Station. According to sources, Rohit had realised there was no point in committing suicide. For this reason, he decided to “do something different,” police said. Before executing the plan, he moved his family to safety — his wife to her mother’s house in Ahmedabad, and his parents from Pune.
Some parents claimed Rohit demanded money in exchange for releasing the children, and police are verifying those claims. Rohit had alleged he was not paid for short film projects done for the state government. Police are now checking whether he was in debt, reviewing his bank records and emails. According to reports, Rohit’s last rites were performed at the Vaikunth Crematorium in Pune.
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