Rohit Arya: Mumbai man takes 17 children hostage before being killed

A tense hostage situation in Mumbai’s Powai area ended theatrically on Thursday as police shot and injured a suspect who had held 17 children captive inside a small film studio. The suspect, identified as Rohit Arya, later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

Investigators stated that 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. He locked the doors and threatened to harm the children if his demands were not met.

Police arrived at the scene around 1:45 p.m local time after receiving a distress call. Arya was reportedly armed with an air gun and holding the children hostage.

Initially, 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.

During the operation, Arya fired his air gun at officers, prompting police to return fire with a single live round that struck him in the chest, and he later succumbed to his injuries while being taken to hospital. His post-mortem is being conducted at JJ Hospital.

Police have recovered an air gun and containers believed to hold chemicals from the studio. A Quick Response Team (QRT) was deployed as a precaution, initially fearing a terror link.

Motives and grievances

Before the incident, Arya had posted a video online declaring that he had “chosen hostage-taking instead of suicide.”  In the message, he claimed that he was seeking “moral and ethical conversations.”

मुंबई के पवई में एक व्यक्ति ने RA स्टूडियो में 22 बच्चों को बंधक बना लिया था. आरोपी का एक वीडियो अब सामने आया है जिसमें वो अपना नाम बता रहा है और कहता दिख रहा कि मेरी कोई ज्यादा डिमांड्स नहीं है, मैं आतंकवादी नहीं हूं. पुलिस ने इसे हिरासत में ले लिया है और सभी बच्चे सुरक्षित हैं.… pic.twitter.com/exYt3e453A

— ABP News (@ABPNews) October 30, 2025

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 Rs.20 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.

A senior police officer described the operation as “swift but risky. “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.