At least 20 children were rescued after being held hostage in Mumbai’s Powai area on Thursday. Panic gripped the locality after a man allegedly took children captive at a local acting studio in broad daylight, prompting a massive police operation.
A mentally challenged man has been detained after he took students hostage inside the studio, said Senior Inspector of Powai Police, Jeevan Sonawane.
He added that the suspect wanted to speak to former Maharashtra education minister Deepak Kesarkar over certain issues he claimed to have with the department.
The tense situation unfolded at RA Studio near the L&T building in Powai, reported news agency PTI. Preliminary information suggests that the children, including boys and girls aged around 15, had been invited to the location for an “audition.”
Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satyanarayan said that around 20 people had been held hostage inside the studio. He said that the suspect appeared mentally ill and was in possession of what looked like a weapon resembling a gun.
The department received a call from the police around 3 pm, said Station Officer Abhijit Sonawane of the Mumbai Fire Brigade. Speaking to Hindustan Times, he said, “We cut open the grills with our hydraulic tools and made access for police. They entered inside and now all are rescued.”
According to authorities, all the children have been safely rescued and handed over to their guardians. The officials added that further details will be shared after due verification.
Mumbai Police told news agency ANI that “a man, identified as Rohit Arya, has held a few children hostage in Powai area of Mumbai.”
They added that Arya had released a video in which he purportedly claimed he wanted to speak with certain people and threatened to “set everything on fire and harm himself and the children” if his demands were not met.