Police in Mumbai rescued at least 20 children after a man took them hostage in the Powai area. The suspect, who identified himself as Rohit Arya in a video he posted online before everything happened, was arrested right there at the scene.
As soon as Arya’s video started making the rounds, police jumped into action. They got to the location quickly and managed to get all the kids out safely, not long after the standoff began.
Who was Rohit Arya?
In his video before getting shot, Arya explained he’d chosen to take hostages instead of ending his own life. He wanted to force a conversation with people he didn’t name. “I am Rohit Arya. Instead of dying by suicide, I have made a plan and am holding some children hostage here,” he said.
The man then listed what he called “simple demands, moral demands, ethical demands, and a few questions.” Arya, before his standoff with the police, warned that any wrong move would set him off, and he threatened to set the place on fire. He was clear he wasn’t looking for money and said, “I’m not a terrorist.”
“I want simple conversations, and that’s why I’ve taken these children hostage. I’ve held them hostage as part of a plan. If I live, I’ll do it; if I die, someone else will, but it will definitely happen because the slightest wrong move from you will trigger me to set this whole place on fire and die in it,” Arya said in the video.
As per reports, Rohit Arya ran a YouTube channel.
A tense situation unfolded at a studio in Mumbai’s Powai area, where several children were held hostage. Police swiftly responded to the scene and launched a rescue operation. After hours of negotiation and effort, all the children were safely rescued, bringing the high-stress… pic.twitter.com/MQi4T1crXD
— NewsX World (@NewsX) October 30, 2025
What did the Police say?
Mumbai Police, in an official statement, said, “A man, identified as Rohit Arya, has held a few children hostage in Powai area of Mumbai. He has released a video purportedly saying that he wants to speak with a few people and if he is not allowed to do it, he will set eveything on fire and harm himself and the children. The man seems to be mentally unstable and Police are trying to handle the matter.”
They added, “All children have been safely rescued from the spot. The man, Rohit Arya has been detained by the Police. The Police are talking to him and trying to find out why he took such a step and if actually is mentally unstable.”
ALSO READ: Mumbai Man Rohit Arya Takes 20 Children Hostage At Powai Acting School, Police Comes To The Rescue
