Marathi actress Ruchita Jadhav said that she was contacted by Rohit Aarrya, a man who took 17 children, a elderly woman and a AR Studio security guard in Powai, Mumbai on Thursday afternoon. In a social media post Ruchita shared screen shots of WhatsApp chats with Aarrya.
In an Instagram story, Ruchita said she had been approached by Aarrya on October 4, 2025 about a film on a "hostage situation." She said being an actor she agreed to hear more and later confirmed a meeting on October 28 at the studio in Powai.
Ruchita wrote on Instagram, "On October 27, he sent me the details — including the studio location — and asked if we could meet the next day. Due to an unavoidable family commitment, I cancelled the meeting." When she saw the news of the hostage crisis days later, she said she felt "a chill."
“I can’t stop thinking about how close I came to being there. I’m feeling incredibly grateful to God and my family… this reminded me that we must be extremely careful when meeting new people for work,” she wrote further.
Ruchita and Aarrya WhatsApp chats reads, “Are you coming tomorrow? What time?” Aarrya had also contacted well known Marathi artistes Girish Oak and Urmila Kanetkar for a supposed film shoot scheduled this week at the same studio.
Mumbai Police revealed that a self-styled filmmaker and social entrepreneur held several people hostage at a Powai studio for nearly three hours before being shot dead. All hostages were rescued unharmed.
Also Read | Mumbai Hostage Case: Rohit Arya’s Wife Says No Funds Were Paid; Maharashtra Govt Denies Claim.
Aarrya, who owned Apsara Media, had worked on awareness videos under the Swachh Bharat campaign and described as a social entrepreneur. His social media accounts featured photos with ministers and film personalities, and posts linking him to school-based cleanliness initiatives launched in Maharashtra.
Aarrya was living in an apartment in Chembur owned by his relative and had recently begun auditions for a supposed web series. He had earlier lived in Kothrud area of Pune, though neighbours said his parents had moved out about a week before the incident.