Mumbai: A tense hostage situation in Powai ended after police rescued at least 20 children from a ground-floor audition studio and arrested the suspect, who identified himself in a pre-incident video as Rohit Arya. Authorities said swift action thwarted what could have become a far worse incident.
Man holds 15–20 children hostage at a studio in Mumbai’s Powai and released a video saying he wants to speak with specific people and be allowed to meet them.
— The Tatva (@thetatvaindia) October 30, 2025
In the video, he threatened that if he’s not permitted to do so, he will set the studio on fire and harm himself and the… pic.twitter.com/UWG6Th95n9
The video, which circulated before police arrived, showed the man declaring he had chosen hostage-taking over suicide to force conversations with unspecified individuals. In the message he claimed his demands were “moral” and “ethical,” denied seeking money and insisted he was “not a terrorist,” while warning that “the slightest wrong move” would prompt him to set the place on fire.
Mumbai police mounted a rapid response after the clip emerged and secured the children shortly after they were held. Officers removed all the youngsters from the premises and took the suspect into custody at the scene.
Sources told police that the children had assembled at RA Studios, located on the ground floor of the building in Powai, for a film audition when the incident occurred. At the location, investigators recovered what appears to be an air gun and several chemical substances, which are being examined.
Police are continuing their probe into the suspect’s motives and the exact sequence of events leading up to the hostage-taking. No fatalities have been reported, and officials said the rescued children are being assessed for any physical or psychological trauma.
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