A shocking incident took place in Powai, Mumbai, on October 30, where a man held over a dozen of children hostage at a studio in the pretext of auditions.
The suspect, who identified himself as Rohit Arya in a video message released before the incident, died in hospital of a bullet injury he sustained in exchange with gunfire with the police.
All the children taken hostage were under the age of 15 were locked in a room. Along with these children, 2 adults were also locked in the room.
In the video, the man said he had chosen hostage-taking instead of suicide in order to force conversations with unspecified people.
𝕄𝕌𝕄𝔹𝔸𝕀 | Mumbai Hostage Crisis: Man Holding Children at Powai Studio Arrested | A dramatic incident unfolded in Mumbai's Powai area when Rohit Arya, a mentally ill man, took around 17 children, one senior citizen, and a civilian hostage at RA Studio. The children were at… pic.twitter.com/STP7nAmdT7
— ℝ𝕒𝕛 𝕄𝕒𝕛𝕚 (@Rajmajiofficial) October 30, 2025
The 30-minute hostage drama caused panic in the Powai area as the police threw a security ring around the studio and asked people to vacate the area.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Visuals from the spot in Powai area of Mumbai where a man, identified as Rohit Arya, held a few children hostage demanding that he be allowed to speak to a few people.
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2025
The children were soon rescued by the Police and handed over to their guardians. The… pic.twitter.com/9W5iCLMOw9
Upon receiving the information, police and NSG commandos reached the spot fearing a terror angle. With the help of the fire brigade and police, the person who was taking the hostage was finally taken into custody and the children were rescued.
At this time, an encounter took place between the accused and the police and it is reported that the accused Rohit Arya died in the police encounter. Arya allegedly opened fire on the police, the police also retaliated in kind. At that time, the accused was shot in the chest. Due to this, Rohit Arya was admitted to the hospital.
Assistant Police Inspector Amol Waghmare, working at Powai Police Station, had fired at the kidnapper Rohit Arya.
According to police sources, the children had come to RA Studios, located on the ground floor of a building in Powai, for a film audition.
After the children who had come for the audition were released for lunch around 2 pm, Rohit Arya locked the children in a room and held them hostage.
Police have recovered what appears to be an air gun and some chemicals from the location.
A total of 17 children, 1 senior citizen, and 1 civilian was successfully rescued by the Powai Police.
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