Mumbai Hostage-Taker Installed Motion Detection Sensors at Doors, Windows to Thwart Police Entry

PTI, Mumbai, Oct 31, 2025 : Rohit Arya, the man who took 17 children and two adults hostage inside R.A. Studio in Powai before being shot dead in a rescue operation mounted by Mumbai Police, had installed motion detection sensors at the windows and doors and also turned CCTVs in one direction to protect himself, an official said on Friday.

"He had installed motion detection sensors at all the doors and windows to prevent the police from entering. He had also turned all the CCTVs in one direction so that nothing could be detected from them. The sensors were noticed when a police team entered the site through the bathroom to end the hostage-taking episode," the official said.

Arya came to R.A. Studio at around 12 noon and took the children hostage about an hour later by locking the hall, he said. Police arrived at the scene after being alerted about some children shouting and gesturing for help through the glass windows of the hall, the official added.

Conversations between senior police officials and Arya continued for two hours, but the accused did not relent, following which the fire brigade team that was summoned to the spot broke open the bathroom window, he said.