Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 30 (ANI): A 50-year-old man, identified as Rohit Arya, who had taken several children hostage in Mumbai’s Powai area, was declared dead after being taken to HBT Hospital, police said on Thursday.
According to police, Arya was seriously injured during the incident and was admitted to the hospital for treatment.
Dinesh Goswami, who was present at the scene, said that a man conducting auditions in Powai for the past few days allegedly took 17 children hostage after extending the session, which caused panic among parents when the children did not come out for lunch.
“An audition was ongoing here for the past three days. The man, Rohit Arya, extended it by three more days. Suddenly, a message was received that he had kidnapped 17 children. When these children did not come out for lunch, the parents panicked. Someone might have called the police. When the police reached here, it was found that the children had been kidnapped. The Mumbai Police team went in and safely rescued the children. It should be investigated whether the studio is legal or illegal, and the perpetrator should be given strict punishment,” Goswami told ANI.
Earlier, Mumbai Police had detained Rohit Arya, who allegedly held several children hostage in the Powai area.
According to the police, Arya had released a video claiming that he wanted to speak with certain people and threatened to set everything on fire and harm himself along with the children if his demand was not met.
Police officials said the man appeared to be mentally unstable and that they were trying to handle the situation carefully.
“A man, identified as Rohit Arya, has held a few children hostage in the Powai area of Mumbai. He 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 everything on fire and harm himself and the children. The man seems to be mentally unstable, and the police are trying to handle the matter,” the Mumbai Police said in a statement.
Later, the police confirmed that all the children were rescued safely and handed over to their guardians.
“The man, Rohit Arya, has been detained by the police. They are questioning him to find out why he took such a step and to assess his mental condition,” the police added.
Authorities said that further details will be shared after verification.
“All the children are safe and have been handed over to their guardians. Other details will be shared at the earliest after due verification,” police said. (ANI)
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