Pune | The last rites of Rohit Arya, who was gunned down by the Mumbai police after he took 19 people hostage, were performed in Pune in the early hours of Saturday.

The 50-year-old had held 17 children, between the ages of 10 and 12, hostage at a studio in Mumbai's Powai area on Thursday. Police rescued the children and two adults after a three-hour hostage drama that ended in Arya's death.

His body was transported to Pune after a post-mortem at Mumbai's JJ Hospital.

The last rites were performed in the presence of Arya's wife, son and other close members of his family.

According to police sources, Arya had been living away from Pune for some time. Preliminary information suggests he had very little contact with his family in recent years.

Arya had earlier claimed that the dues for a project he had undertaken for the Maharashtra education department were pending, and he had even staged a protest in Pune to get the amount.