Saurabh Luthra and his brother Gaurav, the Delhi businessmen who own Birch by Romeo Lane, the nightclub in Goa where a fire killed 25 people late on Saturday, have fled the country, police said on Monday.
They took a flight, IndiGo 6E 1073, from Delhi to Phuket at 5.30 am on December 7, Sunday, as per Goa Police’s statement. This was just hours after the blaze, as the police got a call about the tragedy at 12:04 am, Sunday.
Police had reached their residence in Delhi on Monday and said they were not found there. Later in the day, the police statement said they had already fled.
On Instagram, meanwhile, Saurabh Luthra posted on Monday: “The management expresses profound grief and is deeply shaken by the tragic loss of lives resulting from the unfortunate incident at Birch.” He also offered assistance and support to families of victims in “every possible form.”
The massive fire at the nightclub in Arpora, a coastal village in north Goa, broke out possibly after a cooking-gas cylinder blast. A probe is on to find the cause and fix responsibility, Goa CM Pramod Sawant has said, constituting a four-member magisterial inquiry committee.
Among the dead were three sisters — Anita, Kamla, and Saroj Joshi — and Vinod Kumar, the husband of another of the sisters. Their cremations were carried out in Delhi on Monday.
What Goa Police said about owners fleeing to Thailand
A look-out notice had been issued against the Luthra brothers via the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) on Sunday evening.
“The Bureau of Immigration at Mumbai was contacted and it was found that both the accused had taken 6E 1073 flight (New Delhi to Phuket) at 5.30 am on 7th December i.e. immediately after the incident which had taken place around midnight. It shows their intent to avoid police investigation,” deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Nilesh Rane, public relations officer (PRO) for the Goa Police, said.
“The Goa police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol Division of CBI to apprehend both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra at the earliest,” Rane added, as per an HT report.
The police detained an employee of the nightclub, named Bharat Kohli, in Delhi on Monday. He was taken to Goa for questioning.
The state’s BJP government also cracked down on Romeo Lane, the chain of popular upscale restaurants and bars located in multiple cities across India. Their two properties were reportedly sealed – besides a beach shack and another club – in Vagator and Assagao in Goa.
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