In a chilling turn of events, Rohit Arya lured 17 children and two adults into a Powai studio under the pretense of a web series shoot, then turned hostage-taker when his film crew realised his plan was real and deadly.
From ‘we’re filming’ to a real-life hostage show
According to his longtime videographer, Rohan Ahire, Rohit Arya’s plan unfolded with a lie: “We’re going to shoot a children’s hostage drama,” Arya allegedly told Ahire, before morphing it into a genuine hostage situation inside RA Studio in Powai.
Ahire said the auditions for the supposed web series had wrapped on Wednesday, yet Arya insisted on extending them into Thursday. He asked Ahire to bring five litres of petrol and fire-crackers. Ahire declined, citing the number of children present. When Ahire arrived Thursday morning, he found children inside and saw Arya pouring a rubber solution and setting it alight. “He told me to stay out of it, pointing an air gun,” Ahire said.
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He forced his way upstairs, broke a window, sustained a hand injury and got a senior woman out. But four children still remained inside when police stormed the studio.
Rescue operation ends in deadly shoot-out
Mumbai Police, after mounting a rapid response, announced that all 19 hostages, 17 children and 2 adults, were safely rescued after nearly two hours. Arya, aged fifty, fired an air-gun at the officers and threatened to set fire to the premises. The police returned fire in self-defence, hitting him in the chest; he later died at the hospital.
The studio’s name, RA Studio, the location in Marol-Powai, and the sudden escalation have raised major questions about mental health, security protocols for children, and the safeguards in place for casting and auditions.
The Mumbai Police have now launched a full-scale investigation: discovering chemicals and an air-gun on site, probing Arya’s motive, mental state and background.
This incident prompts a review of how children are called for media projects and how studios screen operators.
