Mumbai, October 30: Over 20 children were rescued unharmed after being held hostage by a man inside a studio in Mumbai’s Powai area on Thursday afternoon, officials said.
The suspect, identified as Rohit Arya, who appeared to be mentally unstable, was taken into custody following a joint rescue operation by the Mumbai Police and Fire Brigade, Joint Commissioner of Police Satyanarayan confirmed.
The tense standoff unfolded at RA Studio near the L&T building and lasted for more than an hour. According to preliminary reports, the children — both boys and girls around 15 years of age — had been called to the studio for an ‘audition’.
Before the rescue, Arya reportedly uploaded a video on social media, declaring that he wanted to “speak to a few people and ask them questions.” He claimed he did not seek money but threatened to set the studio on fire if his demands were not met.
All the children were safely evacuated after swift intervention by emergency teams. Authorities are probing the motive behind the incident and assessing the suspect’s mental health condition.
