Mumbai:
The final act of filmmaker Rohit Arya‘s life unfolded in a cramped studio in Mumbai’s Powai neighbourhood, wired with motion detectors, surveillance cameras, and locks that he thought turned the studio into a fortress. His day began with an alleged audition for a web series, which spiralled into a three-hour hostage crisis involving 19 people, among them 17 children. When it ended, Arya was shot on the right side of the chest, died of his injuries during treatment.
According to police, the 38-year-old, once associated with a state-run cleanliness campaign, had installed motion sensors from the staircase up to the inner chamber of RA Studio, where the hostages were kept. The devices were configured to trigger alarms if anyone entered without permission. He had also set up multiple CCTV cameras capable of recording both audio and video, giving him a real-time view of any movement inside or outside the room.In addition to an airgun, Arya possessed an electroshock weapon, commonly used for incapacitation, and a self-defence stick that expanded with the press of a button. He had also fitted a centre shutter lock on the main gate to block forced entry. Police later recovered chemicals from the site, though they have not disclosed their composition.
Around 1:45 pm on Thursday, the police received an emergency call. A man had allegedly lured children to his studio for an audition and locked them inside. By then, Arya had begun livestreaming parts of his plan through a pre-recorded video in which he claimed he had chosen to “hold hostages instead of dying by suicide.”
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