Goa Nightclub Fire: Police Question Luthra Family About Gaurav, Saurabh

New Delhi: A Goa police team on Monday reached the residence of Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, where a devastating fire on Saturday night claimed 25 lives, as part of its probe into the incident. The house is located close to Delhi University.

However, the Luthra brothers, among the main accused in the case, were not at their residence in Hudson Lane when the police team went there. The team questioned members of the Luthra family to determine the current whereabouts of Gaurav and Saurabh, seeking details about their recent movements, possible hideouts and any contacts they may have reached out to, police sources said.

According to the official, the Goa police team arrived in Delhi to question the Luthra brothers in connection with alleged violations and lapses linked to the club. The team visited their house in Hudson Lane and made inquiries with the local police.

The Delhi police is conducting searches at multiple locations in the city to trace the accused and assist the Goa police in its investigation, the official said.

So far, the Goa police has arrested the club’s chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur in the case.

The police also detained Bharat Kohli, a resident of Sabzi Mandi in Delhi, who was responsible for overseeing the daily operations at the nightclub. His name surfaced during the questioning of a club manager. Kohli will be taken to Goa for questioning, they said.

Saurabh, who is still at large, on Monday took to Instagram to express grief and asserted that the management will extend every possible form of assistance, support and cooperation to the bereaved and affected individuals.

“The management expresses profound grief and is deeply shaken by the tragic loss of lives resulting from the unfortunate incident at Birch,” the owner 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 investigations by the police so far have indicated multiple irregularities at the entertainment venue, including absence of a No Objection Certificate from the fire department and issuance of a licence without proper documentation. The police may also issue a Look Out Circular against all the accused in the case as a precautionary measure.