A quiet Thursday afternoon in Mumbai’s Powai turned tense when screams and frantic gestures from a group of children inside a film studio alerted locals. Within minutes, police had sealed off the area. By evening, 17 children and two adults were rescued, and the man who had held them hostage was dead.
Rohit Arya, a 50-year-old filmmaker and social campaigner, was shot during a rescue operation inside R A Studio after he pointed an airgun at police officers trying to free the hostages. What had begun as a supposed audition for a web series ended as a three-hour standoff and a fatal confrontation.
According to investigators, Arya had invited the children, aged 10 to 12, for what he claimed was an audition for a new show. His long-time videographer, Rohan Aher, said Arya had told his team they were shooting “a hostage situation involving children” without revealing that it would turn into a real one.
On Thursday, Arya locked the studio doors after the children arrived, poured flammable rubber solution on the floor, and set it alight. When Aher tried to stop him, Arya aimed an airgun at him and ordered him to leave. Aher escaped and alerted those outside. Within minutes, police and fire brigade teams reached the spot.
What police found inside revealed meticulous preparation. Arya had installed motion detection sensors on the doors and windows, turned all CCTVs in one direction, and locked every exit from inside. These measures made entry nearly impossible and allowed him to control the space completely.
Officers later discovered the sensors only when they entered through the bathroom window, the same route used to launch the rescue. “He had turned the studio into a trap,” an officer said. “Every move was calculated to delay entry.”
Police negotiators spoke to Arya for nearly two hours, urging him to release the hostages. Meanwhile, a team of three officers crawled through the bathroom passage after the fire brigade broke the glass window. When they entered the hall, Arya turned his airgun towards them and fired. Police returned fire in self-defence, striking him in the chest. He was rushed to a hospital but declared dead on arrival.
Investigators say Arya’s act was not driven by money or terrorism but by grievance. A video recovered from the scene showed him declaring: “I am not a terrorist. I have taken the children only for the sake of dialogue.”
Police believe he staged the hostage situation to protest against alleged unpaid dues from a government-linked cleanliness project under the education department. “Instead of ending his life in frustration, he planned this drama to attract attention,” an official said.
The hostages,17 children and two adults, were confined for more than three hours. Some reports suggested Arya offered them pizza and soft drinks to keep them calm. All were safely rescued and handed over to their parents after medical checks. Items including two airguns, petrol, lighters, and a rubber solution were recovered from the studio. The Crime Branch has taken over the probe, and the seized materials have been sent for forensic examination.
Rohan Aher, Arya’s videographer of ten years, was one of the first to realise something was wrong. He said Arya had asked him a day earlier to bring petrol and firecrackers “for the shoot,” but he refused because children were involved. On Thursday, Arya barred him from entering the upper floor of the studio and soon began pouring flammable solution.
“When I protested, he pointed an airgun at me and told me to leave,” Aher said. “He then locked all the doors. I broke a glass window with a hammer to help the children escape, but he sprayed pepper spray into my eyes and I fell down the stairs.”
Despite his injuries, Aher helped a senior woman inside get out before police arrived. “He had lost control completely,” Aher said. “I thought he would hurt himself, not the children. I still can’t believe it turned into something this tragic.”
Arya had previously worked on social awareness campaigns like Swachhta Monitor and Let’s Change, often describing himself as a filmmaker with a mission. But according to those who knew him, he had grown increasingly disillusioned over unpaid government projects and lack of recognition, he had even staged protests, reportedly to get his funds released .
Education Minister Dada Bhuse said on Friday that he has sought a report on Arya’s work with the School Education Department. Arya’s company, Apsara Media Entertainment Network, had implemented the Swachhta Monitor initiative, a cleanliness awareness programme involving nearly 64,000 schools and 59 lakh students across Maharashtra.
According to the department, Arya’s firm was paid Rs 9.9 lakh for the first phase in 2023, and a second phase worth Rs 2 crore was approved under the Majhi Shala Sundar Shala campaign.
However, the project’s effectiveness was questioned, and the new proposal of Rs 2.41 crore that Arya submitted remained pending. Officials said Arya later began collecting registration fees from schools through a portal, prompting the department to seek an explanation. Since he failed to respond, no further payment or approval was granted. Former education minister Deepak Kesarkar also claimed he had personally assisted Arya financially after the latter complained of unpaid dues.
(With inputs from ENS and PTI)
