A man in Mumbai held 17 children hostage in RA Studio in the Powai area, sparking panic and chaos. Identified as Rohit Arya, the man also shared a video saying he just wanted to speak with some people. The Mumbai police has arrested him and rescued all children.
The police managed to rescue the children in a dramatic operation after the accused did not agree to release the kids. Arya was injured in the encounter, and later reportedly succumbed to the injuries at a hospital.
“A man, identified as Rohit Arya, has held a few children hostage in Powai area of Mumbai. He has released a video purportedly saying that he wants to speak with a few people and if he is not allowed to do it, he will set eveything on fire and harm himself and the children. The man seems to be mentally unstable and Police are trying to handle the matter,” the Mumbai Police said in a statement.
Rohit Arya, a man in Mumbai’s Powai, allegedly held several children hostage and released a video in which he said he wanted to speak with specific people. In the clip he threatened to set the premises ablaze and to harm himself and the children if he was prevented from doing so. pic.twitter.com/YFGMTFrZXT
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“All children have been safely rescued from the spot. The man, Rohit Arya has been detained by the Police. The Police are talking to him and trying to find out why he took such a step and if actually is mentally unstable,” the Mumbai police said.
“All the children are safe and handed over to their guardians. Other details will be shared at the earliest after due verification,” they added.
“It was a challenging operation, because we were negotiating with him without any positive outcome….To save the children’s lives was our priority,” DCP Nalawade said..
The children, boys and girls around 15 years old, were called for an `audition’, as per the preliminary information, the police said. Before the children were rescued, Arya released a video on social media.
VIDEO | Mumbai: Police rescue over 20 children who were held hostage inside a flat in Powai area. The suspect, who identified himself as Rohit Arya has been arrested, as per the officials.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 30, 2025
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/EsQRqDuISi
The development bears stark similarity to the film ‘A Thursday’, starring Yami Gautam in which she makes kids hostages to communicate her demands to the authorities. She has played the role of a rape survivor in the film. The man has also made the move on a Thursday, hinting at some inspiration from the film.
What did the kidnapper say
Rohit Arya, the man who kidnapped children in Mumbai on Thursday, said he did not need money and had some demands for which he made the children hostage.
“I am Rohit Arya. Instead of committing suicide, I have made a plan and have kept some kids here. I don’t have many demands. I have very simple demands. I have very moral demands and very ethical demands. And I have some questions. I have to talk to some people. I have to ask them questions. If I have a counter-question on their answer, then I have to ask a counter-question,” he was heard saying in the now viral video.
“But I want this answer. I don’t want anything else. I am neither a terrorist nor do I have a great demand for money. There is no demand for money,” he added, further saying that a “slightest wrong move” would trigger him to set fire to the studio.
