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Goa Police had booked Luthra brothers and the club's partners, manager, event organiser and other managing staff and charged the accused with culpable homicide. (File)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Goa is conducting searches at at least eight locations in Goa and Delhi in connection with the fire at ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub in Goa’s Arpora village, where 25 people were killed on December 6 last month.
Sources said the search operations are underway since early Friday morning at the residential and office premises of the Saurabh Luthra, Gaurav Luthra and Ajay Gupta, the owners and partners of Birch by Romeo Lane, Goa, to probe money-laundering allegations linked to the alleged illegal functioning of the club and the role of its promoters.
An official said the searches are being conducted at 8-9 locations across Delhi and Goa, including at premises in Kingsway Camp in Delhi, Tatvam Villas in Gurugram, and the premises of the then sarpanch of village panchayat Arpora-Nagoa Roshan Redkar, and then-panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar in Goa, who are alleged to have facilitated and issued trade licences and No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the club to operate.
Sources said ED teams are also conducting searches at the premises of Surinder Kumar Khosla, to examine the money-laundering angle arising from the illegal conversion of khazan land (salt pan), on which the club was reportedly operated. Khosla, a UK national, is the owner of the property, on which the “unauthorised structure” housing the nightclub Birch had been operating.
Goa Police had booked Luthra brothers and the club’s partners, manager, event organiser and other managing staff and charged the accused with culpable homicide. Luthra brothers, who ran the club, had taken a flight from Delhi to Phuket at 5:30 am on December 7, hours after the incident, which took place around midnight. The duo booked the tickets at 1:17 am on December 7 to flee the country, within 90 minutes of the blaze. Luthra brothers were later deported to India and arrested by Goa police. They are currently in judicial custody.
A magisterial inquiry, set up to probe the fire at Birch by Romeo Lane, earlier this month, found that the local panchayat “colluded” with the owners of the property, allowing the club to be run illegally without a valid trade licence. The panchayat “failed in its statutory duty” and took no action to seal the property or shut its operations, the inquiry said.
Citing the disclosure statements of the then sarpanch of Arpora-Nagao, Roshan Redkar, and the then panchayat secretary of Arpora-Nagoa, Raghuvir Bagkar, the inquiry committee flagged procedural lapses in document verification for hastily issuing licences and NOCs without following due procedure, stating that the probe “establishes their collusion with the owners of this property in keeping the restaurant running illegally”.
Pavneet Singh Chadha is the Goa Correspondent of The Indian Express. His reporting focuses intensely on the state of Goa, covering major developments in politics, governance, and significant local events, which establishes his high degree of Expertise and Authority in the region. Expertise Geographic Expertise: As the Goa correspondent, Pavneet provides on-the-ground, comprehensive coverage of Goa's political, social, and cultural landscape, ensuring readers receive timely and localized insights. Key Coverage Focus: His recent work demonstrates deep investigative capabilities and a focus on high-impact stories, including: Investigative Reporting: Extensive coverage of complex events such as major incidents (e.g., the Goa nightclub fire), tracing the legal, political, and safety lapses involved. Government and Law Enforcement: Detailed tracking of police actions, deportations, and legal proceedings related to significant local cases. Policy and Governance: Reporting on the judiciary (e.g., Goa High Court flagging illegal structures) and the actions of government departments. He tweets @pub_neat ... Read More
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