Inside a cramped audition room in Powai, a 35-minute standoff that began as a routine casting call turned into a race against time on Thursday noon.

By the time the dust settled, 19 people, including 17 children and a senior citizen, had been rescued, a man identified as 38-year-old Rohit Arya lay wounded after being shot by police and later died in hospital, and investigators were left to untangle how a film audition spiralled into a full-blown hostage crisis.

THE OPERATION

The operation itself was carried out in just 35 minutes. A Quick Reaction Team (QRT) of eight commandos barged into the audition room through a bathroom, a small entry point chosen to preserve surprise and prevent hostages from being exposed at the main entrance.

The lead commander first carried out negotiations wi

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