Saturday, March 29, 2025
Who Was YouTuber Rohit Arya — the Man Behind the Mumbai Studio Hostage Crisis?
Mumbai witnessed a shocking hostage standoff on Thursday when YouTuber Rohit Arya, who allegedly held 17 children and two adults captive inside a film studio in Powai, was killed in a police encounter. Arya, who sustained a gunshot wound to the chest, later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. According to the police, he appeared mentally disturbed and had been making irrational demands through social media videos before the standoff.
Police said they received a distress call around 1:45 PM, alerting them that a man was holding several children hostage inside a local studio. When the police team arrived, Arya was reportedly armed with an air gun, capable of inflicting serious injuries at close range.
Sources told NDTV that officers managed to enter the building through a back entrance. As they approached the adjoining washroom, they found Arya pointing his weapon at one of the children. At that moment, ASI Amol Waghmare fired a single shot, hitting Arya in the chest. He collapsed immediately and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Rohit Arya, a resident of Pune, Maharashtra, worked at RA Studios in Mumbai and ran a YouTube channel focusing on creative and educational content. Reports suggest Arya had recently been conducting acting auditions at the studio. He had also been associated with an education department tender under former Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar.
Arya claimed he was never paid for his project work and that his “Swachhta Monitor” concept, presented in 2023, was allegedly stolen without credit or compensation. These grievances, according to police, may have contributed to his deteriorating mental state.
Before the police entered the studio, Arya posted a video that quickly went viral on social media. In it, he identified himself and said,
“I am Rohit Arya. Instead of committing suicide, I made a plan and took some children hostage. My demands are very simple, very moral.”
He further added,
“I want to talk to a few people. Depending on their answers, I will ask follow-up questions. I am not a terrorist, nor am I asking for money. I just want a simple conversation.”
In a chilling part of the video, Arya warned that even a “small mistake” by the authorities could lead him to set the place on fire, endangering everyone inside. “Even if I die, children will suffer unnecessary harm,” he said, adding that he should not be blamed for the consequences.
The incident has raised serious questions about security protocols in Mumbai’s studio complexes and the mental health awareness of individuals in high-stress creative professions. Police have confirmed that no child was seriously injured in the operation and that a forensic and psychological investigation into Arya’s motives is underway.
