INTERPOL has issued a blue corner notice for Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, owners of the Goa nightclub where a fire killed 25 people. The brothers, who have fled to Thailand, are being tracked by international authorities, Goa police confirmed.
INTERPOL Issues Blue Corner Notice
In a major development in the ongoing investigation in Goa’s Romeo Lane fire incident, a ‘blue corner notice’ has been issued by INTERPOL against the absconding accused, Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, just two days after the incident took place, state police said on Tuesday. The brothers fled to Thailand after the fire, which claimed 25 lives, and are now being tracked by international authorities.
“It was a very painful accident in which 25 people lost their lives. To identify the bodies, conduct post-mortem, timely handover of the bodies to the relatives and alongside carrying out the investigation…The accused were immediately charged and arrested. We took immediate action against the owners by issuing LOC against them. We have come to know that the club owners are in Phuket, and we are taking action with the help of CBI and INTERPOL. Our teams are present in Delhi. We are issuing advisories and guidelines to restaurants, conducting foot patrolling in view of the upcoming season. Total of 21 bodies have been handed over; two are remaining,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Goa Police, Varsha Sharma told ANI.
‘Some Heads Need to Roll’: Tourism Minister
Meanwhile, Goa Tourism’s Rohan Khaunte said a strict investigation will be conducted from “down to top” and that “some heads need to roll.”
“Goa Police has achieved a major breakthrough in the investigation of the Birch by Romeo Lane fire incident. A Blue Corner Notice has been issued by INTERPOL against the absconding accused,” Goa police said in a statement.
Goa Police said, “Normally, this process takes a week or more, but because of the concerted efforts of Goa Police and the strong support from central agencies, it was completed much faster.” This notice will help trace the accused and prevent them from immigrating to any other country from their current destination, the state police said.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, while condoling the deaths in the fire, said that a “wrong message of tourism” has gone out due to this incident. He said he has spoken with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, called for a strict investigation, demanded corrective action by the government, and that some “heads need to roll.” He also said the restaurant was not under the state tourism ministry’s purview for registration.
“What has happened is a very tragic incident, this particular happened at Birch by Romeo Lane, which does not come under the purview of the tourism department in terms of registrations. So what has happened is that the tourists were affected, and a wrong message towards tourism has gone out, and we have to learn that as we talk about the families who have lost their families in this incident, it is very important for due correction that the government needs to do,” the minister said.
“I have shared my thoughts with CM, and we need to ensure that the investigation will be done in this whole episode from down to the top, everyone who was there, some action needs to be initiated, some heads need to roll,” the tourism minister said.
“Tourism department is always serious about seeing that we promote tourism in the right manner for domestic and international destinations. We ensure that enforcement is done in our areas, and we also need to ensure a peaceful, good stay for the tourists wherever they go,” state minister Khaunte added.
Illegal Structure Demolished
Earlier today, authorities had demolished part of the Romeo Lane restaurant, the chain owned by the Luthras, at Goa’s Vagator beach, citing encroachment by the restaurant.
Deputy Director of Goa Tourism, Dhiraj Wagale, had said, “We will demolish the encroachment on the beach side. The total area to be demolished is 198 square meters.”
“The beach comes under the tourism department, so we are demolishing it (the restaurant),” he said. According to him, the authorities had demolished part of the restaurant in July, but the owners had rebuilt it. “We will take action again if they rebuild it again. Supervisors and Wardens are at the beach; they are our ears and eyes, so they report any illegalities,” he said.
Further Investigation Details
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Goa Police, Varsha Sharma, said that Lookout Circulars (LOCs) have been issued against the Luthra brothers (owners of the establishment), and they are taking the help of Interpol and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to bring them back.
In a major escalation in the probe, the state police have initiated international coordination to trace and bring back the absconding owners of Birch. Addressing a press conference, Sharma said, “LoC has been issued against them (Luthra brothers). They are not in India. We are taking the help of Interpol and CBI to bring them back. They were not in Goa on the incident date.”
The DIG further said that Ajay Gupta, a co-owner and partner in the business, has also been named among the accused and is now on a Lookout Circular. “Ajay Gupta, the co-owner and partner, is one of the accused, and we have issued a Look Out Circular notice against him,” she stated.
Meanwhile, one of the tourists at Vagator Beach defended the owners, saying they are “good people,” and that those who flouted fire safety norms by using fireworks in the restaurant should be questioned thoroughly. “The owners of this place are very good people, but it is not their fault. I think the people who installed the fireworks should be questioned. In India, fire safety is nowhere; most places don’t have it,” said one of the tourists. She, however, said she was not at the location when the fire occurred.
Bharat, the fifth accused of the fire tragedy, was also brought to Anjuna Police Station. He was responsible for managing the establishment’s daily operations on behalf of the owners.
Government Mandates Safety Audits
The massive blaze broke out in the early hours of Sunday at a nightclub in Arpora, triggering a high-casualty incident and killing atleast 25 people, most of the staff of the restaurant. The Goa government formed a committee to investigate the incident.
On Monday, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) directed all nightclubs, restaurants, bars, event venues, and similar establishments in Goa to conduct an internal safety audit within seven days and keep the report ready for inspection by district authorities, the fire services, or SDMA-authorised teams.
SDMA said, “Non-compliance will attract strict enforcement action including closure, suspension or cancellation of licenses and prosecution under Section 51 (b) of the DM Act, 2005, and other application laws.”
(ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)