A day after seventeen children were rescued after being held hostage in Mumbai's Powai, the police have recovered an air gun and certain chemicals from scene of the incident.
The children were called to Mahavir Classic – a commercial-cum-residential building rented out by accused Rohit Arya (50) four days ago – on the pretext of an “audition”. They were held hostage inside the building by the accused for more than three hours.
The Mumbai police on Friday recovered an air gun, petrol, inflammable rubber solution and lighter from the studio in Powai, ANI news agency quoted the cops as saying.
“Powai Police has invoked sections 109(1), 140, 287 of BNS 2023 against the now-deceased Rohit Arya,” the police said, adding that the recovered items had been sent to the forensics department. The police further said that the investigation in the case had been handed over to the crime branch.
Children rescued through duct pipeline
The parents who had accompanied the children and were waiting outside since morning grew anxious after none of the kids stepped out for lunch.
Meanwhile, people in the adjacent building spotted some children crying and calling for help from the closed glass windows of the theatre, following which they alerted the police.
The police reached the location of the studio and tried to negotiate with Arya, who also released a video amid the situation saying he did not intend to hurt the children. In the video, Arya, in an eerily calm tone, said he wanted to speak to people who would help him recover ₹2 crore allegedly owed to him by the Maharashtra education department.
{{/usCountry}}The police reached the location of the studio and tried to negotiate with Arya, who also released a video amid the situation saying he did not intend to hurt the children. In the video, Arya, in an eerily calm tone, said he wanted to speak to people who would help him recover ₹2 crore allegedly owed to him by the Maharashtra education department.
{{/usCountry}}After Arya's refusal to surrender, two police teams climbed the building’s duct line with the assistance of fire brigade, one cutting through a glass wall and another entering via a bathroom vent.
Once inside, police fired a single round and injured Arya after he refused to surrender, and rescued the children. The accused was later declared dead at the Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Hospital.