On Thursday, October 30, 2025, Mumbai found itself gripped by a high-tension hostage situation involving numerous children. While this might seem like an unprecedented event, the city has a complex history with such crises, which have repeatedly challenged its law enforcement in non-terror contexts.
The police successfully brought the nearly three-hour-long dramatic standoff to a safe conclusion, rescuing 17 children and two adults from a studio in the Powai area. The captor, identified as Rohit Arya, died from a bullet injury during the police operation.
The ordeal began around 1:30 p.m. when Powai police received an urgent alert: 50-year-old Rohit Arya had taken 17 children hostage inside RA Studio, located in the Mahavir Classic building. These children, boys and girls aged between 10 and 12, were at the studio for a web series audition that had been running for two days. Authorities noted that this specific scenario, involving such a significant number of child hostages, was a rare occurrence in recent memory.
Echoes from the Past: Mumbai’s Previous Hostage Incidents
In the last decade or so, Mumbai, the financial capital, has witnessed multiple hostage-taking scenarios.
2010 Andheri Hostage Incident
March 2010 saw another harrowing incident in suburban Andheri (West), where 60-year-old retired customs officer Harish Marolia held 14-year-old Himani captive in his apartment. This drastic action stemmed from an argument with his housing society members, following his earlier objections to ongoing construction work and a warning shot fired in the air at the society’s secretary. The crisis ended tragically, with Marolia killing the young girl before being fatally shot by police.
2008 Double-Decker Bus Hostage Incident
In November 2008, a 25-year-old from Bihar named Rahul Raj took passengers on a double-decker bus hostage as it traveled from Andheri. The situation escalated dramatically when approximately 100 police officers surrounded the bus at Bail Bazar in Kurla. Refusing to surrender, Raj reportedly threw a note declaring his intent to harm Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, whose party had initiated anti-migrant protests in Mumbai. The police ultimately shot Raj, ending the dangerous standoff.
Expert Perspective on Hostage Situations
Shailni Sharma, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Nagpur, a seasoned officer with specialized training in hostage negotiation, emphasized the critical priorities in such crises: ‘The most important thing is to save lives and ensure minimum damage. All negotiations are conducted with these two primary objectives in mind.’ Ms. Sharma, notably the first woman officer from Mumbai police to receive hostage negotiation training in London post the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, also contributed to training National Security Guard (NSG) commandos in 2022 on handling these delicate scenarios. She further explained that ‘when negotiations with a captor reach a deadlock, the operational team must make decisions based on the immediate needs of the situation.’ During the 2010 Andheri hostage incident, Ms. Sharma was summoned to negotiate, but a police team had already entered the flat, leading to the tragic shooting of the captive girl. Her expertise extends beyond hostage situations; in 2013 and 2017, she successfully intervened and saved two women contemplating suicide through skilled communication. As a senior police inspector in Nagpada during the anti-CAA and NRC protests, Ms. Sharma effectively managed public unrest through dialogue.