The Goa Police on Tuesday detained Ajay Gupta, who is believed to be a partner of the Luthra brothers – the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub where a deadly fire killed 25 people.
Police had already issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) for Gupta and another man, Surinder Kumar Khosla, earlier in the day. A senior officer said that both had come under scrutiny soon after the nightclub’s owners, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, escaped to Thailand following the tragedy.
Who is Ajay Gupta?
Ajay Gupta is a Delhi-based businessman and one of the four co-owners of GS Hospitality Arpora LLP, the company that runs the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, North Goa. The nightclub is part of the popular Romeo Lane brand from Delhi and functions as a bar, restaurant and party spot.
Gupta came under public attention after a major fire broke out at the nightclub on December 6, killing 25 people – most of them staff – and injuring more than 50 others. The fire started around 11:45 PM during a busy weekend event. Investigators believe it was caused by indoor fireworks that were mishandled in an area that did not have proper fire safety systems, enough emergency exits or valid permissions.
Meanwhile, Khosla is a British citizen, Deputy Inspector General Varsha Sharma said during a press conference at the Anjuna police station. She confirmed that LOCs had been issued against both Gupta and Khosla.
How many arrests have been made so far?
So far, police have arrested five people connected to the nightclub – chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, gate manager Riyanshu Thakur and Bharat Kohli.
The Luthra brothers fled the country just five hours after the fire broke out at their nightclub in Arpora. The first fire alert was received by police at 12:04 am on Sunday. By 5:30 am, the brothers had boarded an IndiGo flight from New Delhi to Phuket, Thailand.
According to Goa Police, they flew on IndiGo flight 6E 1073 on December 7, which landed in Phuket after 11 am.
When police visited the Luthras’ home in Delhi on Monday, they confirmed the owners had already fled. A look-out notice through the Bureau of Immigration had been issued for the brothers on Sunday evening.
