Powai Hostage case | Do whatever with me, don’t do anything to the children: Senior inspector recalls toughest 80 minutes of his career

“I tried talking to Arya and shouted out asking him what he wanted. He asked me to give my mobile number and called me,” Sonawane told The Indian Express.

Arya told Sonawane that he had lost money and had not been paid for some work he had done. Sonawane told him that all issues would be resolved and he didn’t have to take any extreme step. He kept requesting Arya to allow him to come up and tried to pacify him. “ If you think I will do anything, I will tie my hands and come. Do whatever you have to do to me. Don’t do anything to the children,” Sonawane told him.

As Sonawane kept Arya engaged in converstaion, two fire brigade officials and two cops entered the building from the back aide. Along with Sonawane, DCP Datta Nalawade too spoke to Arya and tried to convince him to let the children go.

The senior inspector who was seated outside the building where the incident took place said he was having goosebumps just recalling the incident.

A fire brigade official involved in the operation told The Indian Express, “We put a ladder to the bathroom window. As Arya was busy talking to the senior inspector, threatening the youngsters with the gun, we cut the grill without him realizing,” the official said.

“We stepped behind and allowed the two cops to enter the house through the window. What we heard next was an exchange of fire and that was the end of the operation,” said the fire brigade official.

The children were united with their parents and all of them were put in a school bus and sent to the hospital for treatment.

Sachin Jadhav, father of a 10-year-old girl held hostage, said, “My daughter usually gets intimidated so either her mother or I always accompany her during an audition, never leave her alone. She is under tremendous shock.”

“Luckily, when the hostage situation took place, my mother in-law was with her and was rescued with the others,” added Jadhav, whose daughter is a child artist and has worked in several television serials like Sant Gajanan Maharaj.

Jadhav and his wife came from Kolhapur to Mumbai four days ago for their daughter’s audition. They stayed at their in-law’s house in Thane and were visiting Powai everyday in the morning. Thursday was the final day of the audition.

“I, along with my wife, daughter and mother in-law reached the studio at 10am. My daughter and 75-year-old mother in-law were inside the studio while we were waiting outside the building. Some of the parents were inside the building and sitting in the parking area,” said Jadhav.

Generally, the kids come out around 1pm to have lunch. On Thursday, however, when they did not come out till 1.30pm, the parents got worried. “We realized what was happening inside when the children started shouting for help and then called the police,” he said.

During the rescue, Jadhav’s mother in-law sustained a cut injury near her ribs from the broken glass. The police rushed her to the nearby Nirali hospital. She got three to four stitches,” said Jadhav.

Initially, the residents of B, C and D wings did not understand what was happening in A-wing. “Suddenly, more than 50 policemen came along with fire brigade officials with all equipment and they started cutting the grill,” said a resident of the B wing.

“We were all stopped near C wing. As more time passed, parents started becoming restless. When the policemen brought the children down, the parents heaved a sigh of relief. The children were in shock and some of them were not even able to utter a word,” said the B-wing resident.

“Auditions happen here everyday and several children come. However, we will not be able to forget this day,” said a resident of A-wing.