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."
A small team led by Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Amol Waghmare used the toilet adjoining the studio to enter its premises. Negotiations had stalled. Arya was threatening to use his airgun, which experts say can be lethal at close range. Then, as Arya appeared to aim his weapon, ASI Waghmare opened fire. The bullet struck Arya in the chest. He collapsed instantly.
All 19 hostages, including two adults, were rescued unharmed. The officer's split-second decision, police say, prevented certain tragedy. By Thursday evening, Waghmare was being hailed as the "Hero of Powai."
In a video message posted shortly before the standoff, Arya claimed that the Maharashtra government owed him Rs 2 crore for a project he said he had led: an urban sanitation campaign called Project Let's Change, under the banner of his firm Apsara Media Entertainment Network. The initiative, launched in 2022-23, involved over 59 lakh students designated as "swachhata monitors" to promote cleanliness in schools.
Arya claimed he had been denied payment despite completing his part of the work. His demands, he said, were "simple, moral, and ethical."
The Maharashtra Education Department swiftly issued a statement refuting his claims. It confirmed that Apsara Media had been engaged under Project Let's Change in 2022 and 2023, and that Rs 9.9 lakh had been released through an official order dated June 30, 2023. The following year, an additional Rs 20.63 crore was allocated for the project under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Shala Sundar Shala initiative, including Rs 2 crore for student monitors.
However, the department said Arya's documentation for the funds was incomplete and inflated. His proposals allegedly listed exaggerated costs for manpower, advertising, and the screening of a promotional documentary.
Further scrutiny revealed Arya had collected registration fees from participating schools. In August 2024, the Education Department instructed him to deposit the collected money into a government account and submit an affidavit pledging to cease independent collections. Arya neither refunded the money nor filed the affidavit. The initiative was eventually shelved after the 2024 assembly election.
"Certain procedures - tenders, terms and conditions, etc. - are required for government projects. However, no such procedures appear to have been implemented in this case... the private media firm collected money from schools, which is not permissible as per government rules," Maharashtra Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse said.
