India, Oct. 30 -- A total of 16 children and one woman were safely rescued after being taken hostage in Mumbai's Powai area on Thursday. Panic gripped the locality after a man allegedly took children captive at a local acting studio in broad daylight, prompting a massive police operation.

The accused, identified as Rohit Arya, died during the rescue operation, which lasted for about an hour.

A mentally challenged man has been detained after he took students hostage inside the studio, said Senior Inspector of Powai Police, Jeevan Sonawane.

He added that the suspect wanted to speak to former Maharashtra education minister Deepak Kesarkar over certain issues he claimed to have with the department.

The tense situation unfolded at RA Studi...