NEW DELHI: Police on Monday detained another manager linked to the tragic Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire in Goa that claimed 25 lives.The accused was identified as Bharat. According to police, he used to run daily operation of Birch by Romeo Lane at the club.
Owner still abscondingThe owner of Birch by Romeo Lane, Saurabh Luthra, remains absconding following the devastating fire at his Arpora nightclub on Saturday night, which claimed 25 lives and injured six others. Until last year, Luthra had aimed to launch 50 restaurants across India, but his weekend property turned into the site of one of Goa’s worst nightlife tragedies.
Saurabh Luthra
Luthra’s LinkedIn profile lists him as ‘Chairman at Romeo Lane, Birch and Mama’s Buoi’. Activist Tahir Noronha described him as “like a ghost,” saying he rarely stays in Goa and often avoids legal proceedings, sending representatives in his place.“He is out of touch with the impact of his ventures,” Noronha said. Socialites and staff also described him as aloof; Jayesh Diukar, a kitchen staffer who survived the fire, said Luthra visited the club only once a month and rarely interacted with employees.At least 100-200 persons were on the dance floor of a nightclub in North Goa when a fire broke out there, and in an attempt to escape, some of them ran downstairs to its kitchen where they got trapped along with the staff.While the state police said the blaze occurred at the nightclub due to a cylinder blast after midnight on Sunday, some of the eyewitnesses claimed the fire started on the club’s first floor, where tourists were dancing.Most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, and included three women, chief minister Pramod Sawant said. There were “three to four tourists” among those killed, he added.“There was a sudden commotion as the flames started erupting. We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad, told PTI at Arpora in the wee hours of Sunday.
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