Sipu Jha
MUMBAI: Rohit Aarrya had doused the Powai studio with a petrol and rubber solution, threatening to set it ablaze if his demands were not met, according to the FIR filed by assistant police inspector Amol Waghmare, who entered the premises with three other cops to rescue the children and shot the captor in self defence after he “pointed to the pistol tucked in his waist at children’s side for a moment, and then pointed it towards me and my team, and he was about to fire”.Assistant police inspector Amol Waghmare, complainant in the hostage crisis, said in the FIR he reached the RA Studio complex around 2pm when chaos broke out. “A few parents rushed in, shouting that their children were not answering calls. Someone showed me a video circulating on WhatsApp — a man named Rohit Arryya claiming he had taken several children hostage inside the studio. He was threatening to burn the place down if anyone tried to intervene.
Within minutes, police teams led by API Sohail Subedar and senior PI Sonawane reached the spot. The atmosphere was tense—parents were crying, and we could smell petrol from outside the studio. The accused doused the premises with a petrol and rubber solution, threatening to set it ablaze if his demands were not met. There were also batteries nearby. Police gained access through a duct and reached the first-floor bathroom where the children were confined.” TOI has a copy of the FIR.The children were kept hostage on the first floor. Waghmare along with sub-inspectors Rakesh Nalawade, Bade and Shinde entered through the bathroom window with the help of fire brigade. “We heard children crying in the bathroom. Then Rohit Aarrya entered and, leaving the children alone, at a distance of about two to three feet, he used a pepper spray, and then pointed to the pistol tucked in his waist… and was about to fire. To save myself, our team and children from being harmed, I fired a shot from my service pistol and he was injured. He was immediately taken to Jogeshwari trauma care hospital and the hostages were rescued and handed over to their parents.”The FIR stated before the police team entered the studio, Rohan Aher who worked as assistant to Aarrya appeared at the window and told the cops that Aarrya had confined four children with ropes and put adhesive tapes on their mouths. “We saw a person from the window on the first floor saying his name was Rohit Aarrya and he started talking to us policemen. At that time, since his voice was not clear, Sonawane took his mobile number from one Amol Dorugade and called Aarrya on his mobile number.” Aher is the key witness in the case, said the police. Cops requested him to release the children and promised to fulfil his demands. DCP Datta Nalawade called and tried to talk to him, but he was not stating clearly what his demand was. He threatened on phone that he would set the place on fire and may harm the children, the FIR said.
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