Mumbai: 17 children, 2 adults rescued; kidnapper killed in police action

Mumbai: Mumbai Police on Thursday freed 19 hostages, including 17 children, from a building in Powai after a 3-hour standoff with a kidnapper, identified as Rohit Arya, who had taken them captive. Arya died of a bullet injury sustained during a shootout with the police.

According to officials, the crisis began around 1:45 pm when Powai police station received a distress call about a hostage situation at Mahavir Classic Building. The police swiftly cordoned off the area and deployed a quick response team, bomb detection & disposal squad and a fire brigade team to assist in the operation.

Preliminary investigation suggests that Arya, a native of Pune, lured children to the building on the pretext of auditioning for a web series. The children began arriving around noon and by 12:30 pm, 17 of them had gathered in the hall. Around 1 pm, Arya locked doors, claiming to begin the audition, but soon held the children hostage.

The police tried to negotiate with Arya, but as talks made no headway, cops entered the hall through the bathroom. The fire brigade team provided a ladder to cops to sneak in. As the operation unfolded, Arya allegedly pointed an air gun at the police inspector, who fired a single shot in self-defence, hitting Arya in the chest. Arya was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead around 5:15 pm.

During negotiations, Arya demanded to speak with former Maharashtra education minister Deepak Kesarkar, alleging that the state department owed him nearly ₹2 crore (including interest) for a promotional campaign undertaken for the department.