Mumbai: 17 children who were held hostage by a man inside a studio in Mumbai’s Powai area were safely rescued by police and fire brigade teams on Thursday, an official confirmed. "All the children are safe," said joint commissioner of police Satyanarayan. The suspect, identified as Rohit Arya, who appeared to be mentally unstable, was taken into custody, another official stated.

The tense situation unfolded at R A Studio near the L&T building and lasted for over an hour on Thursday afternoon. According to preliminary information, the children — boys and girls around 15 years old — had been called for an audition.

Before the rescue, Arya had posted a video on social media claiming he wanted to speak to certain people and ask them questions, asserting that he did not want money. He allegedly threatened to set the studio on fire if his demand was not met.

With inputs from PTI