Goa Police Detain 1 More Suspect, Seeks Passport Impoundment for Luthra Brothers
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The Goa Police have made a significant breakthrough in their investigation into the devastating nightclub fire that claimed 25 lives in North Goa last week. On Tuesday, they detained Ajay Gupta, a business partner of Saurabh Luthra, one of the owners of the nightclub. Gupta, a resident of New Delhi, was the third person to be linked to the case after a lookout circular (LOC) was issued against him and another owner, Surinder Kumar Khosla, a British citizen. The police have also urged the central authorities to impound the passports of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who fled to Phuket in Thailand hours after the fire. An Interpol blue corner notice has been issued against the absconding accused, and police are making all efforts to bring them back to India. The nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane, was operating in an illegal structure on a salt pan land, an eco-sensitive intertidal plot near a tidal creek. Five people have been arrested so far, including the Luthra brothers' partners, and four have been remanded to six-day police custody. The police are also investigating government officials who allegedly helped the nightclub operate despite being in an illegal structure. The Goa tourism department has demolished a beach shack illegally constructed by the Luthras on the coastline at Vagator, and reclaimed 198 square-metres of land. The police are working to apprehend the other accused involved in the crime and are seeking documents from government offices to support their investigation.
