Panaji/New Delhi: Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the Goa nightclub wanted in connection with the fire tragedy that claimed 25 lives at the facility, have fled to Thailand, prompting police to seek the help of Interpol to trace them, officials said here Monday.
According to a statement issued by the Goa Police, the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, where the blaze killed people, mostly staff and five tourists, late Saturday night, fled to Phuket at 5:30 AM December 7 in an IndiGo Airlines plane, just hours after the incident.
The owners’ escape was discovered after a massive manhunt was launched following the filing of an FIR, and during the probe, it was found from the immigration records that the duo took flight IndiGo flight 6E 1073 to Phuket, Thailand, at 5:30 AM Sunday, December 7, just hours after the incident took place around midnight.
The authorities have now sought the help of Interpol to trace and arrest the promoters.
A senior official said that this swift exit by Luthras shows their “intent to avoid the police investigation.”
The official said soon after an FIR was filed, police moved swiftly and dispatched a team to Delhi to conduct raids on the addresses of the two accused.
“Since they were not available, a notice under appropriate sections of law was pasted on the gate of their house,” the official said, adding that by December 7, a Look Out Circular was issued against both the accused by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) at the request of the Goa Police.
However, during this exercise, it was found that the two had already left Delhi for Phuket in the early hours of December 7, that is, immediately after the incident which had taken place around midnight.
“Goa police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol Division of CBI to apprehend both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra at the earliest,” he said.
While the owners remain abroad, the police have arrested key operational staff Bharat Kohli, one of the members of the management, from Delhi after obtaining his transit remand.
So far, the club’s Chief General Manager Rajiv Modak, General Manager Vivek Singh, Bar Manager Rajiv Singhania, and Gate Manager Riyanshu Thakur have been arrested.
Earlier in the day, the Goa Police team visited the house of Gaurav and Saurabh Lutha in Delhi and questioned their family members.
Even as police conducted searches to trace him, Saurabh Luthra used social media Monday to express “profound grief” and vowed to provide assistance, support, and cooperation to the victims’ families in “every possible form”.
“The management expresses profound grief and is deeply shaken by the tragic loss of lives resulting from the unfortunate incident at Birch,” Saurabh Luthra said in his post on Instagram.
He said the management further affirms that it shall extend every possible “form of assistance, support and cooperation to the bereaved and affected individuals, as they navigate through this period of immense anguish and adversity.”
The Goa government Monday constituted a four-member magisterial inquiry committee to ascertain the facts and circumstances that led up to the massive fire at the nightclub.
According to officials, fireworks have emerged as the likely cause of the blaze at the popular party venue in Arpora village, 25 km from Panaji.
Under Secretary (Home) Manthan Manoj Naik issued the order constituting the inquiry committee with North Goa District Collector Ankit Yadav as chairperson.
The committee members include South Goa Superintendent of Police Tikam Singh Verma, Director of Forensic Sciences Ashutosh Apte, and Rajendra Halarnkar, deputy director, Fire and Emergency Services.
The committee will examine the sequence of events leading to the fire, verify the compliance of all statutory licences, and determine the lapses.
It will also fix accountability on agencies or departments responsible and recommend preventive and corrective measures, the order stated.
In the aftermath of the fire incident, the Goa government has intensified its crackdown on the controversial Romeo Lane club chain, officials said Monday.
Two other properties of the hospitality company in Goa have been sealed, they said.
The North Goa district administration has sealed a beach shack and another club, both part of the Romeo Lane chain, located at Vagator and Assagao, respectively, an official said.
Action has been initiated against both properties as they were involved in disputes, the official said.
The Goa government has issued an advisory for nightclubs, restaurants, bars, event venues and similar establishments, laying down several measures, including for fire safety and crowd control.
“Under provisions of the Disaster Management Act 2005, all such establishments are directed to ensure strict compliance with fire safety, electrical safety, emergency preparedness, and structural safety norms prescribed by the competent authorities,” the advisory reads.
The establishments must maintain a valid fire NOC, comply with all conditions issued by the Fire Services Department, and adhere strictly to authorised occupancy limits, display maximum capacity prominently, and not allow overcrowding, it said.
The advisory has asked establishments to ensure functional smoke/heat detectors, alarms, sprinklers, hydrants, hose reels and serviced fire extinguishers.
“They have to use certified electrical wiring and protection devices, and remove temporary, overloaded, or unsafe electrical connections immediately. The establishments will have to keep all emergency exits and escape routes unobstructed with illuminated exit signage, evacuation maps, and emergency lighting,” it said.
Non-compliance will attract strict enforcement action, including closure, suspension, or cancellation of licences and prosecution under the Disaster Management Act.
Police investigations so far have indicated multiple irregularities at the entertainment venue, including the absence of a No Objection Certificate from the fire department and the issuance of a licence without proper documentation.
Fire officials had said earlier that the club, located on the backwater of the Arpora river, had small exit doors connected only by a narrow bridge, which severely hampered the escape of people during the blaze.
