Goa Police Issue Lookout Notice For Absconding Club Owners; All Airports On Alert

FIRs were also filed against the club owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, alongside event organisers after fire at the nightclub claimed 25 lives.

Police personnel outside 'Birch by Romeo Lane' in Arpora, north Goa, where fire broke out late Saturday night.

Source : PTI

Goa Police on Monday issued a lookout notice against Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the nightclub where a fire killed 25 people late Saturday night. 

According to police, both owners fled Goa soon after the fire incident occurred and are suspected of attempting to leave the country. All airports and police stations have been put on alert following the issuance of the lookout notice, IANS reported, citing the Goa Police.

The blaze at 'Birch by Romeo Lane' in Arpora, about 25 km from Panaji, is believed to have intensified rapidly due to the wooden interiors and limited escape routes.

Among the victims were 20 nightclub employees and five tourists, including four from Delhi. Firefighters reported that most fatalities, 23 out of 25, were caused by suffocation in the underground kitchen area. These victims showed no burn marks, indicating they succumbed to oxygen deprivation, while only two bodies bore significant burn injuries.

After the tragedy, police arrested several senior staff members of the nightclub, including chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur. FIRs have also been registered against club owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra as well as the event organisers.

The Goa government, meanwhile, took swift administrative action, suspending three senior officials for allowing the nightclub to operate in 2023 despite alleged violations. Those suspended include former Director of Panchayat Siddhi Tushar Harlankar, former Member Secretary of the Goa State Pollution Control Board Dr. Shamila Monteiro, and Raghuvir Bagkar, former Secretary of the Village Panchayat Arpora–Nagoa.

A probe committee comprising the South Goa Collector and Fire Services officials has been constituted to investigate the lapses. The panel has been directed to submit its report within a week.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also announced ex gratia compensation of ₹5 lakh for the families of those killed and ₹50,000 for the injured. Six people were hurt in the incident, five of whom are currently receiving treatment in hospital.