Mumbai Man Takes 20 Children Hostage at Powai Acting School; Accused Rohit Arya Dies Later

Panic gripped Powai on Wednesday after a man held at least 20 children hostage inside a building, prompting a swift police operation. All children were safely rescued, and the accused was taken into custody.

Watch here:

The man, identified as Rohit Arya, locked several children inside an acting studio and threatened to harm them. In a video released prior to the incident, Rohit claimed he wanted to “speak with a few people” and warned that if he wasn’t allowed to do so, he would “set everything on fire” and harm himself and the children.

“He has held a few children hostage and released a video saying he wants to speak with certain people. If not, he will harm himself and the children. He appears mentally unstable, and we are trying to handle the matter,” Mumbai Police said earlier in a statement.

A rapid police operation was launched, and officers safely rescued all the children from the studio.

“All children have been safely rescued from the spot. The man, Rohit Arya, has been detained by the police. We are talking to him to understand why he took such a step and whether he is mentally unstable,” the police confirmed.

Rohit Arya died

The hostage situation in Mumbai’s Powai took a tragic turn after Rohit Arya, the man accused of holding 17 children hostage inside an acting studio, died from injuries sustained in an exchange of gunfire with police.

During the rescue operation, Arya allegedly fired at police using an air gun, prompting officers to return one round of fire in self-defence.

“He shot at the police using an air gun, after which one round of bullet was fired at him,” officials said.

Arya was immediately taken to a nearby hospital with gunshot wounds. Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

(This is a breaking story…more details will be updated soon.)