A tense hostage situation unfolded in Mumbai’s Powai area on Thursday when a man named Rohit Arya held 19 people—including 17 teenagers—captive inside a film studio. The Mumbai Police’s Quick Response Team (QRT) executed a swift and courageous operation, rescuing all the children unharmed. The accused, who was armed with an air gun, was critically injured in the ensuing police action and later succumbed to his injuries.
Sequence of Events
According to police sources, the sequence of the incident unfolded as follows:
12:00 PM: Accused Rohit Arya arrived at R.A. Studio in Powai.
12:30 PM: Seventeen children gathered inside the audition hall for a scheduled audition.
1:00 PM: Arya suddenly locked the hall from inside, taking all the children and two adults hostage.
1:15 PM: The children began shouting for help through the glass windows.
1:30 PM: Mumbai Police reached the spot and began negotiations with the accused.
1:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Senior officers continuously attempted to calm Rohit Arya, assuring him that his demands would be met if he released the children.
3:30 PM: As talks failed, police called the Fire Brigade for assistance.
3:45 PM: Fire Brigade personnel reached the scene.
3:50 PM: Firefighters broke open a bathroom window, allowing three police officers to enter the hall discreetly.
4:00 PM: Spotting the officers, Rohit Arya pointed an air gun and fired. Mistaking it for a real firearm, a police inspector fired a single shot from his service revolver in self-defense, hitting Arya in the chest.
4:10 PM: The injured accused was rushed to a nearby hospital.
4:30 PM: All 19 hostages were safely evacuated from the studio.
Sources revealed that for nearly two hours, senior Mumbai Police officers tried to reason with Rohit Arya, urging him to release the children peacefully. Arya, however, repeatedly threatened to set the hall on fire if his demands were not met.
When it became evident that the accused was unstable and posed an immediate threat to the lives of the children, the police made the critical decision to launch an intervention operation. During the confrontation, Arya opened fire using what appeared to be a gun, prompting the police to respond in self-defense.
The police later confirmed that the weapon used by Arya was an air gun, not a real firearm. He was declared dead at the hospital due to a gunshot injury to his chest.