Goa nightclub fire: Accused escape to Thailand, Police approaches Interpol

New Delhi: The owners of the nightclub in Goa, where a tragic fire led to the deaths of 25 people, have managed to flee India, said the Goa Police. The police said that they have escaped to Phuket, Thailand. The Goa Police have now approached the Interpol, through CBI and want them to immediately intervene in the matter.

The Goa Police said that the accused left India on Sunday itself, the day the incident was reported. They boarded a flight for Phuket, from Mumbai, said officials. The Luthra brothers fled the country, just hours after their property in North Goa caught fire.

The main accused have been identified as Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra. They are brothers and co-own the nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane, located in Arpora village. The Goa Police had already issued a Look Out Notice against them and now after they have fled India, they have asked for Interpol to help them arrest both the accused.

The state police had raided the Delhi residence of the accused, but could not find them. A notice was pasted at their homes, and by the evening of December 7, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued, said senior officials. Checks with the Bureau of Immigration revealed that both had taken a 6E 1073 flight to Phuket at 5:30 am on December 7 — shortly after the fire that occurred around midnight — indicating an attempt to evade the investigation, they added.

Goa Police said they are now coordinating with the Interpol division of the CBI to apprehend them at the earliest.

Meanwhile, one accused, Bharat Kohli, has been arrested in Delhi and brought to Goa on transit remand for further interrogation. Police officials further said that post-mortem examinations of all 25 victims have been completed and the bodies handed over to their families.

It was reported that the blaze in the nightclub started after a cylinder blast in the kitchen. Among those killed were 20 workers of the club and 5 tourists.