15-20 Mumbai children rescued after being held hostage by YouTuber
What's the story
A hostage situation unfolded at a studio in Mumbai's Powai area on Thursday, where 15 to 20 children were held captive. The incident took place at the RA Studio, which is known for conducting acting classes. The alleged kidnapper has been identified as Rohit Arya, an employee of the studio who also runs a YouTube channel. The children have since been rescued and the kidnapper arrested.
Video demand
Kidnapper demands to speak with 'certain people'
Per India Today, Rohit had been conducting auditions at the studio for the past few days. On Thursday morning, when nearly 100 children came for auditions, he let around 80 leave but held back 15-20. Visuals shared online showed the children peeking out of first-floor glass windows. After the kidnapping, the man released a video demanding to speak with "certain people."
Man
What he said in the video
"I'm Rohit Arya. Instead of dying by suicide, I have made a plan and am holding some children hostage here. I don't have many demands; I have very simple demands, moral demands, ethical demands. I want to talk to some people, ask them questions, and if I have counter-questions...I want to ask them back," he said in the video. "I'm not a terrorist, nor do I demand a lot of money, and I certainly don't want anything immoral," Arya said.
Police intervention
All children rescued, police on spot
He further cautioned that any aggressive action could provoke him and warned authorities and others "not to trigger" him. In a statement, the Mumbai Police said cops were talking to him and trying to find out why he took such a step. ""All children have been safely rescued from the spot. The man, Rohit Arya has been detained by the police," they said. The police had earlier described him as "mentally unstable."