Team Goemkarponn
MAPUSA: In a major breakthrough in the probe into the deadly Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire, Anjuna police on Friday arrested former Arpora–Nagoa panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar and secured his five-day police custody from the Mapusa Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court.
Bagkar was taken into custody after remaining untraceable since the trial court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. He later approached the Bombay High Court at Goa seeking pre-arrest relief, where his application is still pending. Police said he was arrested at around 7 pm from Chicalim village in Bardez following sustained surveillance and specific intelligence inputs.
A senior police officer said teams had been closely monitoring Bagkar’s movements after his bail plea was turned down. “Once we received confirmed information about his presence in Chicalim, a police team immediately moved in and detained him,” the officer said.
After undergoing a medical examination, Bagkar was produced before the JMFC court in Mapusa on Saturday. The court granted police custody for five days to allow investigators to further probe his role in the events leading to the fire, which claimed 25 lives last month.
The investigation has brought renewed focus on the role of local bodies in granting permissions to the nightclub, which was later found to be functioning without essential statutory approvals, including a fire no-objection certificate and a valid construction licence.
Police confirmed that former Arpora sarpanch Roshan Redkar, also named as an accused in the case, continues to evade arrest. Redkar has moved the High Court seeking anticipatory bail, and hearings in the matter are currently underway.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the state government first suspended Bagkar from service and later dismissed him, citing serious administrative lapses. Redkar has been disqualified as sarpanch and panchayat member and barred from contesting elections for five years.
