Crime branch records statement of Rohit Aarrya’s wife

The Mumbai police crime branch will analyse Anjali Aarrya’s statement in detail once they arrive back in the city from Pune

Mumbai: The Mumbai crime branch on Monday recorded the statements of the wife of Pune resident Rohit Aarrya, who was shot dead on October 30 after he held 17 children hostage at a studio in Powai.

Crime branch records statement of Rohit Aarrya’s wife

“We recorded the statement of Anjali Aarrya, wife of Rohit Aarrya, in Pune today. She told us about how they met, their married life, the hunger strikes that he staged in the past, the projects he worked on, and how she came to know about the hostage situation through a friend,” a senior police officer familiar with the case told HT.

The crime branch will analyse Anjali Aarrya’s statement in detail once they arrive back in the city from Pune, the officer added.

Aarrya’s family had earlier asked the police to wait to record their statements despite the crime branch approaching them.

“We also didn’t push them as they were grieving,” the officer quoted earlier said.

Rohit Aarrya, 53, had earlier worked for the state education department on the Swachhata Monitor project. On October 30, he took 17 children and two adults hostage at the RA Studio in Powai on October 30, demanding to talk to MLA Deepak Kesarkar regarding some pending payments. Armed with an air gun and an inflammable spray, he had threatened to set the studio on fire if his “simple” demands were not met.

The police have already recorded the statements of family members of the children taken hostage, alongside the studio owner, Manish Agarwal, two actors who had attended Aarrya’s seminars, the main witness Rohan Raj Ahire and others.