Overview
- Officers mounted a three‑hour multi‑team operation with the QRT, bomb squad and fire brigade, forcing entry through a bathroom duct and a cut glass wall to reach the hostages.
- Amol Waghmare of the Powai anti‑terrorist cell fired a single round that struck Rohit Arya in the chest during the rescue; he was taken to a hospital and later declared dead.
- All 17 children and two adults were freed, medically checked and handed to guardians, with police saying the priority was to prevent harm to the minors.
- Investigators recovered an air gun, chemicals and a lighter from the studio, and sent the items for forensic analysis after securing the scene.
- Arya had released a video claiming he was not a terrorist, threatening to set the place on fire and seeking to speak to officials over alleged ₹2 crore dues tied to school campaigns, a claim the state has disputed as undocumented; police say he rented the studio days earlier and installed motion sensors.