Mumbai : Rohit Arya, the suspect who took 17 children hostage at Mumbai’s RA Studio, died at the hospital as he was admitted there with a critical injury. He was reportedly shot by the police as they carried out a 35-minute rescue operation at the studio located in Mumbai’s Powai area on Thursday. The suspect first opened fire at the police after the negotiations to release the hostages failed. The police then fired retaliatory shots, with one of them reportedly hitting Arya. The cops then barged into the room and freed the children.
Arya had also released a video message, saying he wanted to talk to the authorities about what he wanted. However, the exact reason why he took the children hostage and what he wanted to talk to the authorities about remains unknown. In the video message, Arya threatened that he would set the building on fire, where the children and two adults were taken captive, if his demands to speak to “some people” were not met.
The suspect further stressed that he is neither a terrorist nor does he demand a large amount of money to free the children. He said that he just wanted to have a simple conversation, so that he could pressure the authorities to talk to him. Further pressing on the authorities to listen to him, Arya said that if the children are harmed at all, he should not be the one held responsible.
Earlier, during the hostage episode, witnesses reported seeing children peeking out through the studio’s glass windows as they were confined by the suspect. Arya, who also ran a YouTube channel of his own, had reportedly been conducting auditions, drawing in families for days. He was reportedly from Nagpur and stayed in Mumbai’s Chembur.
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