In a swift move to enforce accountability following a deadly inferno, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has instructed officials to raze the Romeo Lane beach shack in Vagator, a property linked to the fugitive Luthra brothers.
The directive, issued Tuesday, targets the establishment owned by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, whose Arpora-based nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane, became a tragic scene when a fire claimed 25 lives. Authorities are intensifying their probe into the blaze, with the demolition order signaling a broader crackdown on the siblings’ ventures, as reported by PTI news agency.
The Luthra brothers vanished shortly after the Saturday night disaster, which ravaged their nightclub-cum-restaurant. Flight records reveal they caught an early-morning IndiGo service from New Delhi to Phuket at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, prompting a rapid response from law enforcement.
A lookout circular had been circulated to the Bureau of Immigration prior to their departure. “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 a.m. on 7th December,” stated Deputy Superintendent of Police .
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Indian investigators are now collaborating with Thai counterparts to track the pair’s whereabouts in Phuket, pursuing deportation via an arrest warrant to sidestep a more protracted extradition process. Teams dispatched to the brothers’ home in north Delhi on Monday returned empty-handed.
The catastrophic fire erupted around 11:45 p.m. Saturday, engulfing the 300-square-meter venue. Among the 25 fatalities were 20 staff members and five visitors, including four from a single Delhi family.
Goa Police lodged a first information report at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, charging Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, along with unidentified others, under key provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The counts include culpable homicide not amounting to murder (section 105), acts endangering life and personal safety (section 125(a)(b)), and negligence in managing fire or combustible substances (section 287).
Four staffers—chief general manager Rajiv Modak, gate manager Priyanshu Thakur, bar manager Rajveer Singhania, and general manager Vivek Singh—were taken into custody Sunday. A fifth arrest followed Monday: Bharat Singh Kohli, identified as the on-site operations handler acting for the owners.
As the investigation unfolds, the Vagator shack’s impending demolition underscores Goa’s commitment to regulatory compliance in its tourism hotspots, even as questions linger over the fire’s origins and the owners’ abrupt exit.