Deadly Goa club fire: Owners’ moves after blaze raise red flags
As the investigation into the deadly fire at a Goa nightclub intensifies, investigators have uncovered how the three owners—Saurabh Luthra, Gaurav Luthra, and Ajay Gupta—reacted after learning about the blaze that claimed 25 lives and exposed glaring violations of safety norms.
The trio, who run Birch By Romeo Lane in Goa’s Arpora, are facing serious charges of culpable homicide and negligence.
While the Luthra brothers have been detained in Thailand and are being brought back to India, their business partner Ajay Gupta was arrested from a hospital in Delhi.
According to investigators, the Luthra brothers were attending a wedding when they received news of the fire.
Sensing the scale of the tragedy, they allegedly contacted their office in Delhi’s Model Town and asked staff to book tickets to Thailand immediately.
They also instructed their aide, Bharat Kohli, to rush to the office, collect key documents, and deliver them to their Mukherjee Nagar residence. From the wedding venue, the brothers went straight home.
Within hours of the fire breaking out, the Luthras boarded an IndiGo flight to Phuket. Investigators are now examining why Thailand was chosen as the destination, especially since one of the brothers reportedly held a long-term UK visa.
Authorities believe answers may emerge once the brothers are deported to India.
While the Luthras fled the country, co-owner Ajay Gupta took a different route. Gupta, who had earlier claimed to be a “silent partner,” has emerged as the most active owner during the investigation.
At the time of the fire, Gupta was in Goa and was woken by a call from the club’s manager, Priyanshu, now under arrest. Soon after learning about the incident, Gupta flew to Delhi from Dabolim airport.
After briefly visiting his Gurugram home, Gupta left in a Toyota Innova with his driver. His phone was switched off, but police tracked the driver’s phone to the Institute of Brain and Spine in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi.
Investigators say Gupta used personal connections at the hospital to get himself admitted in an attempt to avoid arrest. The ruse failed, and police took him into custody after confirming there was no genuine medical emergency.
The probe has painted a grim picture of how systematic safety violations turned the nightclub into a death trap.
Investigators found that the club lacked functional fire extinguishers, fire alarms, and emergency exits.
The access road was too narrow for fire engines, and the establishment was operating without valid permissions and licences.
Despite repeated warnings, the management failed to address the lapses, according to the FIR. Investigators have also alleged that past intervention by a former IPS officer led to an earlier case against the club being dropped, an episode that allegedly emboldened the owners to continue flouting safety norms.
What followed, investigators say, was a tragedy waiting to happen—one that ultimately claimed 25 lives.
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