MUMBAI: Police spent nearly two hours trying to negotiate with the captor, Rohit Aarrya, and gauge his demands, but he refused to cooperate, even after one of the girls’ parents said she suffered from seizures, cops said. An official said he appeared calm when police spoke to him.City police chief Deven Bharti maintained that Aarrya fired first, prompting retaliatory police firing. “Regardless of his demands, we couldn’t let him play with lives. Our team fired back in self-defence. There was no other option.” Other officials reiterated that the safety of those held captive was the priority, adding that the team’s response was measured and as per the protocol. The death prompted calls by legal experts for a magisterial inquiry.
While Aarrya did not elaborate on his motive in the video or during police’s attempts at negotiations, it emerged that he had sat on a hunger strike against former school education minister Deepak Kesarkar in 2024 over alleged dues of Rs 2 crore for a state-sanctioned school cleanliness project. Kesarkar said he personally gave him some money as a “gesture of sympathy” even though the school education department maintained that Aarrya had collected payment directly from some children. He said Aarrya should have taken the issue up with the department instead of holding children hostage.Police said Aarrya owned a company, Apsara Media, that directed awareness videos on social causes and had extensively worked with children. They said he had been holding auditions at RA Studio in Powai for the past five days for a web series he was planning. Thursday was the final casting call. Auditions began at 10am and the children—hailing from Navi Mumbai, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli and other parts of the state—arrived earlier, said a security guard at Mahavir Classik, which housed the studio.Around 1.45pm, an anonymous caller alerted Powai police after parents outside the building, mostly mothers, began yelling when their children failed to emerge for lunch. “We rushed there when we heard them scream. They said their children were trapped inside,” said Prashanta Naik, manager of an adjoining bar.Within minutes, the road was packed with police vehicles, ambulances and fire tenders. The first to arrive were Powai police headed by senior inspector Jitendra Sonawane. “It was a very challenging operation,” said DCP Datta Nalawde. “We tried to negotiate, but when that failed, our priority was to save the children.”Officers broke through a bathroom grille and stormed the studio. Mamman Abdul, who lives in the next building, said he heard a single crack of gunfire. According to police, Aarrya fired first with an air gun; officers returned fire, hitting him in the chest. He was rushed to Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Hospital in Jogeshwari, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Inside the studio, police recovered an air gun and some unidentified chemicals.CM Devendra Fadnavis congratulated police for the manner in which they handled the hostage crisis. “A probe is underway and we will know more once it is complete.”MLA Murji Patel, who met the parents and children at SevenHills hospital, said the kids had been unaware of the hostage crisis because they were kept in another room. They did not appear worried or traumatised, he said. But some parents said their children were crying when the bus that was taking them to hospital was pulling out of the Powai building’s premises.Abhijit Sonawane, station officer of Marol fire station, said the police team had requested them to provide an alternative access to enter the premises. “The space where the children were held hostage had an internal staircase going from the ground to the first floor. We provided access through a service duct after grilles and glass panels were broken. The police team then carried out the operation.” (With inputs from Bella Jaisinghani, Richa Pinto & S Ahmed Ali)
About the Author
