Mumbai hostage-taker shot dead after holding 17 children at studio

Mumbai: A tense hostage situation in Mumbai’s Powai area ended dramatically on Thursday after police shot and injured a man who had held 17 children captive inside a small film studio.

The suspect, identified as Rohit Arya, later died during treatment, police said.

According to investigators, Arya, a social media channel owner and self-styled activist, had lured the children — aged between 8 and 14 — to RA Studio under the pretext of a web series audition. Once inside, he locked the doors and threatened to harm the children if his demands were not met.

When police from Powai Police Station arrived following a distress call around 1:45pm, they found Arya armed with an air gun and holding the children hostage.

Negotiations began immediately, but Arya refused to surrender. As the situation escalated and he threatened to ignite the studio using chemicals, a police team forced entry through a bathroom and rescued all 17 children unharmed.

Arya fired at police with his air gun during the operation, prompting officers to retaliate with a single live round that struck him in the chest. He succumbed to his injuries while being taken to hospital. His post-mortem is being conducted at JJ Hospital, officials confirmed.

Before the incident, Arya had posted a video message declaring he had “chosen hostage-taking instead of suicide,” claiming he wanted “moral and ethical conversations.” In the video, he said he was not seeking money or involved in terrorism but wanted to draw attention to grievances over unpaid dues from a government sanitation campaign he once managed.

Arya alleged that officials owed him Rs20 million for his PLC Sanitation Monitor Project, part of the My School, Beautiful School initiative under Maharashtra’s education department.

He claimed to have received partial personal payments from then Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar, which he said were never followed by full compensation. Arya had reportedly gone on hunger strike twice over the issue in 2024.

Police recovered the air gun and chemical containers from the studio, which investigators believe he used to intimidate officers. A Quick Response Team (QRT) was deployed as a precaution, initially fearing a terror link. The standoff caused panic in the neighbourhood until police secured the area and confirmed all children were safe.

A senior police officer described the confrontation as “swift but risky,” crediting the team’s quick action for preventing a tragedy. “All 17 children were rescued safely. The accused sustained injuries in police firing and later died in hospital,” the officer said.

The case has been registered, and investigators are examining Arya’s mental health and online activities to determine whether the act was premeditated or part of a larger plan.