Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa Police has issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against nightclub owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra of Birch by Romeo Lane, a day after a catastrophic fire at the Arpora club killed 25 people and injured six.
Officials said the duo left Goa shortly after the incident and are suspected to be attempting to flee the country. Airports and police stations nationwide have been alerted, and a police team has been dispatched to New Delhi to trace and arrest them.
The Luthra brothers, along with event organisers, have been booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including culpable homicide and endangering life. Five arrests have already been made. Senior staffers Rajiv Modak, Priyanshu Thakur, Rajveer Singhania, and Vivek Singh were taken into custody on Sunday, followed on Monday by the arrest of Bharat Kohli, who handled the daily operations of Romeo Lane, in Delhi.
Of the 25 fatalities, 20 were staff members and five were tourists.
In his first public statement since the tragedy, owner Saurabh Luthra said the management was “deeply shaken” and expressed “profound grief” at the loss of lives, adding that the nightclub stood in “unwavering solidarity” with the families. He said the management would extend “every possible form of assistance, support, and cooperation” to those affected.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant termed the incident unprecedented for Goa. “From my preliminary inquiry, it appears the fire started on the upper floor. Because the doors were very congested, some people managed to escape, but once the fire intensified, others could not get out. Many who moved towards the underground area died due to suffocation because there was no proper ventilation,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved ex-gratia assistance from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). The PMO announced that the next of kin of each victim will receive ₹2 lakh, while the injured will be given ₹50,000.
The blaze broke out during a packed “Bollywood Banger Night” on Saturday. Viral videos show a performer dancing as flames erupt on the ceiling moments after indoor fireworks were used. The club, promoted as an “island nightclub,” sits near the Arpora backwaters and is connected to the main road through narrow lanes, with limited entry and exit routes — factors now under scrutiny as investigators piece together what went wrong.
