Motion sensors, face-to-face negotiation: How Mumbai hostage-taker Rohit Arya tried to keep police away—and failed

The children had been called to the studio for an ‘audition’.

“We found that he had installed motion sensors in the past few days when the ‘auditions’ were being held, as he was preparing for Thursday. From Monday onward, he had been setting up sensors and testing them. He had connected the sensors to a mobile phone that would alert him,” a police official said.

“He had worked in the film industry and may have known how these things work. We suspect he may have carried out research online. We are trying to find out where he made the purchase,” the official added.

Secondly, when Arya spoke to a senior police inspector from the Powai police station, he told him to come near the transparent plastic barrier through which he could see him. He warned the senior inspector that he would end negotiations if he stepped away from his line of vision, an official said.

“In fact, when some journalists who had his number called him, he told them he would talk to them only if he could see them, suspecting that they were calling at the behest of the police,” an officer said.

According to the police, Arya had a view of the front of the building but was unaware of a back entry. “Even as the police were negotiating with him, a separate team was scouting for other entries and exits,” an official revealed.

“When we realised there was a back entry, we summoned the fire brigade to see if they could help us. We had also summoned the Quick Response Team (QRT), but time was of the essence, so a two-member police team and two fire brigade officials tried to enter from the back as we kept him engaged in negotiation,” the official added.

“He was shocked when our team entered from the bathroom after fire brigade officials cut the bathroom grill. He had an air gun, and when it appeared he could harm someone, our officer fired one round at him, killing him,” the official further said.

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