When filmmaker-activist Rohit Arya held 17 children hostage at a Powai studio this week, Mumbai was gripped by memories of another chilling day, October 27, 2008, when a 25-year-old man from Bihar hijacked a double-decker bus in the heart of the city.

It was around 10:30 am when news flashed that a BEST bus, numbered 332, had been seized at Kurla. Passengers trapped on board sent frantic calls as police scrambled to respond. By the time officers reached Bail Bazaar, nearly 100 policemen had surrounded the vehicle, sealing off the street and drawing crowds of terrified onlookers.

The hijacker, Rahul Raj, had boarded the Andheri-bound bus at Saki Naka around 10 am, armed with a country-made revolver. He ordered the driver to stop and moved to the upper deck, taking control of the vehicle

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