Mumbai hostage case: 17 kids lured for a supposed kidnapping film project
Mumbai hostage case: 17 kids lured for a supposed kidnapping film project
A banker-turned-entrepreneur invited 17 families for an 'audition,' claiming a kidnapping scene for a film. Police say the suspect was killed in a gunfight after victims were rescued.
Mumbai was jolted by a shocking incident as Rohit Arya, a banker-turned-social entrepreneur, invited 17 kids along with their parents for what he described as a film audition. He purportedly convinced them the session would involve a kidnapping scene and even reached out to several Marathi actors to participate in this project. He later recorded a video of the victims and sent it to Powai Police Station as part of his troubling plan.
Authorities responded swiftly, and a gunfight ensued, resulting in Arya's death and the safe rescue of the children and their parents. The dramatic sequence has raised serious concerns about how aspiring film projects can be used to lure unsuspecting families into dangerous situations.
Among the actors approached were Girish Oak and Ruchita Jadhav. Oak said he was contacted by an ex-coworker on Arya’s behalf and met Arya at a studio around 11:00 a.m., where Arya discussed a project tied to a social cause. He observed several children at the studio and learned they were part of a workshop, with parents outside taking photos. Jadhav, who also faced a similar outreach, shared that family commitments prevented her from meeting Arya. She later posted on Instagram about being contacted for a hostage-themed project and expressed shock after seeing the incident in the news on October 31.
Oak added that Arya had claimed to have produced other movies, which influenced his willingness to meet. The episode has prompted questions about how individuals can use film ideas to lure real children into dangerous situations, and what steps authorities and the industry should take to prevent such exploitation in the future.
