Post Deadly Fire : Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub/ ANI/X
Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the Goa nightclub wanted in connection with the fire tragedy that claimed 25 lives at the facility, have fled to Thailand, prompting police to seek the help of Interpol to trace them, officials said in Panaji .
All 25 victims killed in the Goa nightclub fire tragedy have been identified, including 20 members of the staff and five tourists, authorities saidaccording to medeia reports .A massive fire raged through ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub at Arpora in the early hours of Sunday, killing 25 people.
According to a statement issued by the Goa Police, the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, where the blaze killed people, mostly staff and five tourists, late Saturday night, fled to Phuket at 5.30 am on December 7 in an IndiGo Airlines plane, just hours after the incident.
The owners’ escape was discovered after a massive manhunt was launched following the filing of a first information report (FIR), and during the probe, it was found from the immigration records that the duo took flight IndiGo flight 6E 1073 to Phuket, Thailand, at 5.30 am on Sunday, December 7, just hours after the incident took place around midnight.
The authorities have now sought the help of Interpol to trace and arrest the promoters.
A senior official said that this swift exit by Luthras shows their ‘intent to avoid the police investigation’.
The official said soon after an FIR was filed, police moved swiftly and dispatched a team to Delhi to conduct raids on the addresses of the two accused.
“Since they were not available, a notice under appropriate sections of law was pasted on the gate of their house,” the official said, adding that by December 7, a Look Out Circular was issued against both the accused by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) at the request of the Goa Police.
Meanwhile , Vinod Kumar, along with his wife and her three sisters, left Delhi less than a week ago for their long-awaited vacation in Goa, as his mother watched them step out with bags and bade them a cheery farewell.
On Monday, she sat by the same door waiting, unaware that her younger son, elder daughter-in-law and two close relatives would never return after losing their lives in a fire.
The massive blaze in the early hours of Sunday tore through a Goan nightclub in Arpora, killing 25 people.
Four of the five Delhi residents, all members of Kumar’s family, were among those who died. The fifth, Bhavna Joshi, survived with injuries, police said.
The deceased were identified as Vinod Kumar (43), Kamla Joshi (42), Anita Joshi (41) and Saroj Joshi (39).
Riya, a Delhi native, said that the firecrackers may have triggered the blaze that led to a stampede-like situation in the premises, which was engulfed in thick smoke as people scrambled to rush out of the narrow doors.
According to fire officials, most of the deaths were caused by suffocation, as the victims got trapped on the ground floor of the club.
“God saved me,” she said, recalling the harrowing minutes that followed the inferno.
“Dancers were performing when fireworks were set off. This might have caused the blaze. There was complete chaos and a stampede-like situation. We left our phones and shoes inside as we scrambled to get out of the premises,” Riya said.
There were about 80 to 90 people inside at the time, she said, adding that it was her first time partying at ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’.
