Witness Reveals Details of Mumbai Hostage Crisis: How Filmmaker Lured Children Under Pretense of Film Shoot

Mumbai:

A terrifying hostage situation in Mumbai concluded on Thursday when police successfully rescued 19 individuals, including 17 children, from filmmaker Rohit Arya, who was fatally shot during the operation.

Mangal Patankar, a grandmother from Kolhapur who witnessed and experienced the ordeal, shared disturbing details of what transpired. She explained how the children were lured into captivity.

According to Patankar, Arya had deceived children into coming to his RA Studios under the false premise of participating in a film shoot.

Currently hospitalized, Patankar recounted traveling from Kolhapur to Mumbai with her granddaughter for what they believed was a legitimate audition. She trusted the organizers because the event had been arranged through her granddaughter's school.

Parents were also invited to attend. Following the audition, Arya informed them that the actual filming would take place two days later.

At first, he displayed courteous behavior and even provided refreshments for the children. However, by Wednesday, his demeanor changed suspiciously. He directed all children, aged between 8 and 14, into a room while instructing their parents to remain outside.

He secured the gate from the outside and moved some children to the studio's first floor.

Patankar further revealed that Arya segregated the children based on their economic status, placing children from affluent and underprivileged backgrounds in separate rooms. She believes others may have been involved in the plot.

Under the guise of filming, he reportedly planned scenes involving running, kidnapping, and bomb explosions. CCTV cameras were removed and replaced with indoor lighting, and the studio was sealed, preventing entry or exit.

Patankar stated that Arya possessed a gun which he repeatedly displayed to intimidate the children. She was coerced into staying with the children to prevent their escape. During the crisis, distraught parents gathered outside while Arya and his associates, including a woman named Priyanka and a man identified as Deshmukh from Nanded, allegedly laughed and made phone calls.

The standoff concluded Thursday afternoon when a team of commandos and police officers rescued all hostages.

Police reported that during the rescue operation, Arya fired an air gun at officers, prompting them to return fire with a single shot.

The bullet struck Arya in the right side of his chest, and he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. His post-mortem examination is being conducted at JJ hospital.