Mumbai: A scary hostage situation involving children triggered panic and sent shockwaves through Mumbai on Thursday.
Police acted swiftly and rescued 17 children, a senior citizen and another civilian who were held hostage at a studio in Mumbai’s Powai area.
All the children have been handed over to their respective parents, and the kidnapper, who identified himself as Rohit Arya in a viral video message, has been arrested.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade said that air guns and chemicals have been recovered from the scene. Police officials entered the premises through a bathroom and found a lone suspect.
The incident took place at RA Studio, where acting classes are held.
An alarm was raised after witnesses reported seeing several children peeking through the studio’s glass windows.
Arya, the man who took the children hostage is an employee at the studio, and has a YouTube channel, India Today reported.
He had been conducting auditions at the studio for the last four to five days. On Thursday, nearly 100 children came for auditions, but Arya took in 15 to 20 children and asked the others to leave.
‘Ethical demands’
Arya is heard saying in the one-minute video message that he is “not a terrorist” and has some “simple demands” which are not financial but “moral and ethical.”
He claimed he had “made a plan” and taken the children hostage to force conversations with certain people. He wanted to ask questions and get those answers. Warning that any aggressive move could provoke him, he urged authorities “not to trigger” him.
“The reason I have taken these children hostage is that I took them hostage as part of a plan… I was really going to do it; I am going to do it if I remain alive. If I die, someone else will do it, but it will definitely happen and it will be with these very children. If they are not harmed, because a slightest wrong move from your end will trigger me to set this entire place on fire and die in it. Whether I die or not, the children will be unnecessarily hurt — they will definitely be traumatised — something will come of that, so I don’t want to be counted as responsible for that; let those people be counted responsible who are unnecessarily triggering this, while a normal common person only wants to talk. After my talks are over, I will come out myself. I am not alone; there are other people with me. Many people have these problems and I am going to provide a solution — just by talking. Please do not trigger me to do any harm to anybody,” Arya said in the video.
#BREAKING | Children taken hostage in Mumbai’s RA Studio building in Powai. Cops in talk with suspect.
More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/lIKxQr33ZU
— Harsh Trivedi (@harshtrivediii) October 30, 2025
Mentally unstable?
According to police, the accused could be mentally unstable.
“Our teams responded immediately to the call and surrounded the building. The priority was the children’s safety. The man appeared mentally disturbed,” said an officer.
Arya was detained after hours of negotiation. He has been taken for medical evaluation and questioning.
Police are looking at the man’s background, possible motive, and connections to determine the reason behind the shocking act.
