Hostage-taker in India shot dead at fake children’s party

A man who arranged a fake birthday party for his one-year-old daughter, then held more than 20 children hostage, has been shot dead by police.

Local media identified the man as Subhash Batham – saying he was accused of murder but out on bail.

His stand-off with police lasted 10 hours, during which officers tried to negotiate with him.

When police entered the building by force, the man was killed in a shootout.

All of the hostageswere brought to safety.

Batham invited children from his village in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad district to a birthday party for his daughter.

He then held everybody – including his wife and daughter – hostage in the building.

Only one six-month old girl was allowed out, when Batham handed her to a neighbour from a balcony, seven hours into the hostage-taking.

When neighbours alerted authorities and police arrived at the scene, he began shooting from the house.

“On learning that he had firing capabilities and after his bomb-threats, all senior police officials decided to attack him,” said Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Om Prakash Singh.

“We tried entering the house…Subhash was killed during the encounter.”

According to India Today, Batham had earlier sent a letter to the local district magistrate, complaining about the lack of toilet facilities in his house, and saying he had been denied government housing.

He said he was a labourer and an ailing mother who had to defecate in the open.