A senior citizen found herself in the midst of a harrowing hostage crisis in Mumbai’s Powai area after accompanying her granddaughter to an audition. The perpetrator, identified as Rohit Arya, held 17 children captive for several hours.
While authorities worked to safely evacuate the children, Mangala Patankar, an elderly woman present at the scene, emerged as a key figure in the rescue. She sustained minor injuries from glass shards but is recovering. Patankar shared her account of the ordeal, describing how Arya separated the children and made demands for ransom.
The Hostage Ordeal
From her hospital bed, Patankar recounted the terrifying events. Arya initially left some children with her while taking others upstairs. He later asked her to bring the remaining children to him. Upon reaching the upper floor, she discovered that the children had not been prepared for any auditions.
“He had put black curtains on the window. He seemed to have planned it in advance. He made 4 of the kids call their parents and demanded a ₹1 crore ransom from each,” she revealed. Arya also threatened that a bomb was planted in the building, demanding ₹4 crore immediately.
‘Arya was being sweet’
Despite the gravity of the situation, Patankar noted Arya’s contradictory behavior. “He was being sweet throughout, but also did a lot of drama. He burst Diwali firecrackers and told us some firing is going on outside so we didn’t step out of the building,” she said.
Patankar also shared her suspicions about another employee present, who did not seem scared, suggesting they might have been involved in Arya’s plan. She prioritized the safety of the children, especially the girls, and kept their anxious parents updated with pictures.
The crisis, which lasted 3.5 hours, ended when police managed to rescue the children. Tragically, Arya was shot dead by a police officer when he allegedly attempted to harm a child during the rescue operation.