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Mon, Nov 17, 2025 | Jumada al-Awwal 26, 1447 | Fajr 05:17 | DXB 
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'I'm not a terrorist': Mumbai filmmaker held 17 kids hostage, killed in rescue operation
The man released a video admitting that he had taken the kids hostage and wanted some 'questions answered'
A dramatic hostage rescue operation was undertaken by Mumbai Police on Thursday, after a 50-year-old man held 19 people, including 17 children, hostage in Powai. The man, named Rohit Arya, was killed during the operation.
Arya, who used to make short films, was reportedly conducting auditions at a studio in Powai for a few days. He allegedly took 17 children — boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 12 — hostage after extending the sessions, leading to panic among parents when the children did not come out for lunch.
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Mumbai Police responded to distress calls on Thursday afternoon about a man holding several people hostage inside the studio. Rescue teams rushed to the scene. The police conducted a forced entry through the bathroom, and the 17 children, a senior citizen, and another person were rescued.
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However, Mumbai Police said that Arya was seriously injured during the incident and was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead, ANI reported. Arya shot at the police using an air gun during the rescue operation, prompting the police to return one round of fire, which hit his chest.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Visuals from the spot in Powai area of Mumbai where a man, identified as Rohit Arya, held a few children hostage demanding that he be allowed to speak to a few people.
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2025
The children were soon rescued by the Police and handed over to their guardians. The man⦠pic.twitter.com/6BHFR1PygP
Why did Rohit Arya hold kids hostage?
Arya had released a video admitting that he had held people hostage, but claimed that he was forced to do so since he wanted wanted to speak with certain people. He also threatened to set everything on fire and harm himself along with the children if his demands were not met.
He said in the video, "I am Rohit Arya and instead of dying by suicide, I have made a plan and I am holding some children hostage here. I don’t have many demands; I have very simple demands, moral demands, ethical demands, and a few questions."
He added, "I want to talk to some people, ask them questions. But I want these answers. I don’t want anything else. I'm not a terrorist, nor do I demand a lot of money, and I certainly don't want anything immoral."
Mumbai Police officials said that he appeared to be mentally unstable.
According to an NDTV report, Arya had claimed that he was owed Rs 2 crore (Dh828,895) for an urban sanitation and cleanliness drive led by his company, Apsara Media Entertainment Network.
The Education Department confirmed that the filmmaker and Apsara Media had been selected in 2022 and 2023 to lead Project Let's Change, an urban sanitation drive. The second phase of the project was executed for 2023-24, and Arya reportedly asked for the scheme to be re-implemented a year later. He had made demands for money, but the government spotted discrepancies in his process and paperwork, NDTV reported.
The government has said that Arya was collecting a 'registration fee' from schools taking part in the cleanliness drive, and had also inflated costs and manpower for the project.
Maharashtra Education Secretary Ranjit Singh Deol, however, clarified there was no agreement to pay Rohit Arya Rs 2 crore for the project.
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