India, Oct. 30 -- At least 20 children were rescued after being held 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.

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 Studio near the L&T building in Powai, reported news agency PTI. Preliminary information suggests that the children, including boys and...