According to preliminary information from sources, the group of boys and girls, all around 15 years of age, had been invited to the studio for an ‘audition’. The situation escalated when the man allegedly locked the children inside
All the children are safely rescued, police said. Pic/Special Arrangement by Aditi Alurkar
Over a dozen children were held hostage by a man inside a studio in the Powai area of Mumbai following which the police officials rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation on Thursday afternoon.
“All the children are safe and have been rescued,” said Joint Commissioner of Police Satyanarayan Choudhary, adding that the children have been handed over to their guardians.
Sources said that the children were rescued after a tense hour-long standoff at R A Studio, located near the L&T building in Powai area of suburban Mumbai.
The suspect was identified as Rohit Arya, police said.
He reportedly refused to negotiate with the police and attempted violently towards the cops during negotiations and was later killed in retaliation by the police, sources said.
After the police action, Arya was rushed to the Jogeshwari Trauma Centre, where he was declared dead, they said.
"At around 1:30 pm, Powai Police Station received information that a person had taken 17 children hostage at Mahavir Classic building in Powai. The Mumbai Police team conducted a rescue operation and safely freed all the children. During the operation while rescuing children the person got injured, was immediately rushed to the hospital, and was later declared dead," Mumbai Police said in an official statement on Thursday.
Sources said that Arya's postmortem will be conducted on Friday at the JJ Hospital and it will be recorded by the police for further investigations.
According to preliminary information from sources, the group of boys and girls, all around 15 years of age, had been invited to the studio for an ‘audition’. The situation escalated when Arya allegedly locked the children inside and began live-streaming a video on social media.
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In the video, Arya can be seen saying that he wanted to speak to certain people and ask them questions, insisting that he did not want money. He threatened to set fire to the studio if his demands were not met.
Police negotiators and rescue teams acted swiftly, managing to bring all the children out safely and detain the man, sources said.
An investigation into Arya’s motives and mental condition was underway, they said.
According to the official sources, Rohit Arya was a Pune-based contractor. He was allegedly under severe mental stress over non-payment of dues amounting to around Rs 2 crores for a government school project. He had allegedly staged protests and even a hunger strike outside the residence of a former education minister to demand his pending payment.
"A total of 17 children, 1 senior citizen, and 1 civilian was successfully rescued by the Powai Police," said an official.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Fire Brigade which assisted the police in rescue of the children said, "On Thursday afternoon, 16 children and a woman were taken hostage The incident was reported at 3:25 pm, saying that an unknown man held the hostages on the first floor of the ten-storey building. The Mumbai Fire Brigade immediately responded, keeping precautionary equipment such as a PRT kit, Weber rescue tools, and a small charged hose line ready. MFB also provided access to police personnel by pitching a ladder to the first-floor window. Police and MFB successfully rescued all 16 children and the woman safely."
It said that the suspect was declared dead at 5:15 pm. The situation has now been brought under control, and authorities are investigating the motive behind the incident.
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