Goa Nightclub Owners Saurabh, Gaurav Luthra Fled To Thailand By Indigo Flight, Say Police

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra – owners of the Goa nightclub where a fire claimed 25 lives – have fled to Thailand, officials said on Monday. Police have now sought Interpol's assistance to track them down, PTI has reported. The Goa Police issued a statement on Monday, December 8 - day after the tragedy struck Goa club - and said that Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub owners fled to Phuket in Thailand at 5:30 am – hours after a massive fire erupted. They reportedly took an IndiGo airplane.

Officials discovered the owners had fled after launching a large manhunt following the FIR. Immigration records revealed that the duo boarded IndiGo flight 6E 1073 to Phuket at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 7 - just hours after the fire broke out around midnight.

To arrest the owners of the Goa nightclub, the authorities have now sought the help of Interpol to trace and arrest the promoters.

A senior official said that this swift exit by Luthras shows their“intent to avoid the police investigation.”

Also Read | What sparked Goa nightclub fire? Probe suggests firecrackers used inside venue Also Read | Goa nightclub fire horror: Survivors recall 'stampede-like chaos'

The official said soon after an FIR was filed, police moved swiftly and dispatched a team to Delhi to conduct raids on the addresses of the two accused.“Since they were not available, a notice under appropriate sections of law was pasted on the gate of their house,” the official said.

A Look Out Circular was also issued against both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) at the request of the Goa Police. But as they were being tracked, the officials found that they had left Delhi for Phuket in the early hours of December 7.

“Goa police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol Division of CBI to apprehend both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra at the earliest,” he said.

While the owners remain abroad, the police have arrested key operational staff Bharat Kohli, one of the members of the management, from Delhi after obtaining his transit remand.

Earlier in the day, the Goa Police team visited the house of Gaurav and Saurabh Lutha in Delhi and questioned their family members.

Who has been arrested so far? The nightclub's Chief General Manager Rajiv Modak, General Manager Vivek Singh, Bar Manager Rajiv Singhania, and Gate Manager Riyanshu Thakur have been arrested in the fire case.

Earlier in the day, Saurabh Luthra took to social media to make his first statement. In his statement, the club owner expressed“profound grief” and vowed to provide assistance, support, and cooperation to the victims' families in“every possible form”.

In a post on Instagram, Saurabh Luthra said,“The management expresses profound grief and is deeply shaken by the tragic loss of lives resulting from the unfortunate incident at Birch.”

Also Read | What are pyro guns that sparked fire at Goa's Birch nightclub?

The management, he sai, will 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 Goa government on Monday constituted a four-member magisterial inquiry committee to ascertain the facts and circumstances that led up to the massive fire at the nightclub.

According to officials, fireworks have emerged as the likely cause of the blaze at the popular party venue in Arpora village, 25 km from Panaji.

(With agency inputs)

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