Three hours after Rohit Arya, a 50-year-old man from Pune, began holding 17 children as hostages, police forces made their way inside the building. The man was shot in the chest and later died at a hospital.
Mumbai Police have now released a timeline of how the events took place.
The children arrived at the Mahavir Classic, a building which was rented out by Arya, four days ago. He had called them on the pretext of an audition for a web series. Along with the children, a 75-year-old grandmother and a studio staffer were also held as hostages.
The parents who accompanied the 10-12-year-olds were outside the building, waiting and growing more anxious by the minute. None of the children had shown up for lunch.
From the building, the police later recovered an air gun, petrol, inflammable rubber solutions, and a lighter from the studio in Powai. The recovered items were sent to the forensic department.
People in the adjacent building noticed children crying and calling for help from the closed glass windows of the theatre and called the police at around 1.30 pm.
While the police reached the location of the studio, with the Quick response team, bomb squad, and fire brigade, Arya released the video where he said he did not intend to hurt the children.
In the video, Arya said that he wanted to speak to people who could help him get the Rs 2 crore which was owed to him by the Maharashtra education department for an urban sanitation and cleanliness drive, Majhi Shala, Sundar Shala initiative led by his company.
While the police tried to negotiate with Arya to keep him engaged, two police teams climbed the building's duct line with the assistance of a fire brigade. Arya had barricaded himself in and fitted sensors in the building to alert him of break-in attempts.
One of the teams cut through the glass windows, and another one entered via the bathroom vent.
Officer Amol Waghmare opened fire at Arya when he refused to surrender and threatened to harm the children. All 19 hostages were rescued. It took the Quick Response team 35 minutes to rescue the hostages.
City Police Commissioner Deven Bharti said, "Regardless of his demands, we couldn't let him play with people's lives. He fired first at the police. Our team fired back in self-defence. There was no other option."
He was declared dead at Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Hospital,
Arya’s wife, Anjali Arya told reporters that her husband had fought for the Rs 2 crore and recognition for his work.
