Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 30: The man behind Thursday’s tense hostage crisis at a Powai film studio, identified as Rohit Arya, reportedly took the drastic step in a desperate attempt to recover Rs 2 crore he claimed was pending for work done under a Maharashtra school education department project during the tenure of former minister Deepak Kesarkar.
Arya, a Pune resident, died of gunshot injuries after police stormed the RA Studio in Powai, where he held 19 people — including 17 teenagers — hostage for nearly two hours from around 1:45 p.m. The police said Arya had confined the group during an acting audition session and threatened to set the studio on fire if his demands were not met.
Sources said Arya had previously reached out to officials multiple times seeking payment for his work on a 2023 education project titled “Swachhta Monitor” but had received no response. During the standoff, Arya recorded a video message saying, “I am not a terrorist… neither am I seeking money. I just want to talk to some people.” He added that he had been “pushed to suicide” but wanted to communicate his grievances through what he called the “hostage plan.”
The situation ended after a police team broke into the studio through a toilet window and rescued all hostages safely. Arya, who opened fire with an air gun at officers, was shot during the confrontation and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
Police said Arya carried an air gun, chemical substances, and a lighter, threatening to set the building ablaze if his demand to speak with Kesarkar and other officials was ignored.
Former minister Deepak Kesarkar confirmed that Arya had proposed a digital cleanliness-tracking project called “Swachhta Monitor” as part of the “Mera School Ek Sunder School Hai” campaign but denied any wrongdoing on the government’s part.
“He had undertaken work under a government initiative but entered into direct financial dealings on his own,” Kesarkar said. “He should have followed departmental procedures instead of resorting to such extreme actions. Holding people hostage is never a solution.”
According to DCP Dutta Nalawade, Arya appeared mentally unstable. The police operation, lasting about 30 minutes, caused panic in the Powai area, prompting a massive security lockdown and the deployment of the Quick Reaction Team (QRT) due to initial fears of a terror link.
Investigators revealed that Arya, who worked at the studio, had been organizing acting auditions for several days. On Thursday morning, around 100 children attended the session — but Arya asked 20 of them to stay back, setting the stage for the hostage crisis.