THE Goa Government has intensified its crackdown on the controversial Romeo Lane club chain after a deadly fire at one of its outlets claimed 25 lives, officials said on Monday. Two other properties of the hospitality company in Goa have been sealed, they said. A State police team also left for Delhi on Sunday to search for the property promoters -- Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra -- against whom a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered, they said. Birch by Romeo Lane, a nightclub at Arpora in North Goa, caught fire late Saturday night, killing 25 persons, the majority of whom were their staffers, they said. The Anjuna police in Goa have arrested the club’s chief general manager, Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur.

 

The North Goa district administration has sealed a beach shack and another club, both part of the Romeo Lane chain, located at Vagator and Assagao, respectively, an official said. Action has been initiated against both properties as they were involved in disputes, the official said. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said that a team of State police had left for Delhi in search of the Luthras. Both the promoters would be arrested as an FIR has been registered against them in connection with the blaze, he added. An employee of a Goa nightclub has been detained by the State police in Delhi, official sources said on Monday. The employee has been identified as Bharat Kohli, a resident of the Sabzi Mandi area here.

 

He was responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the nightclub and his name surfaced during the questioning of a club manager, the police sources said. Kohli will be taken to Goa for questioning, they said. Fireworks emerged as the likely cause of the blaze at ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub at Arpora, located 25 km from Panaji, officials said on Sunday, adding that the facility allegedly did not possess even a fire department NOC. The deceased included 20 employees of the nightclub and five tourists, including four from Delhi. Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation, as the victims got trapped on the ground floor and in the kitchen, said a fire brigade official. As per initial information, the nightclub had not adhered to fire safety norms, CM Sawant said on Sunday. A preliminary inquiry indicated that “electric firecrackers” were set off inside, which started the blaze at 11.45 pm on Saturday, Sawant said. The CM has directed Chief Secretary V Candavelou and DGP Alok Kumar to identify and act against the Government officials who allowed the club to operate even though it violated safety rules. ‘Deeply shaken by tragic loss of lives’: Absconding Goa nightclub owner's first statement: A DAY after the tragic fire at Goa’s Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in North Goa, one of the absconding club’s owners, Saurabh Luthra, issued his first public statement on Monday, saying he was “deeply shaken by the tragic loss of lives”. One of the owners, Saurabh Luthra, in a statement on Instagram, expressed grief and said the management is “deeply shaken by the tragic loss of lives”, as he condoled the deaths.

 

“The management expresses profound grief and is deeply shaken by the tragic loss of lives resulting from the unfortunate incident at Birch. In this hour of irreparable sorrow and overwhelming distress, the management stands in unwavering solidarity with the families of the deceased as well as those injured, and conveys its heartfelt condolences with utmost sincerity,” he posted on Instagram. Luthra further added that the establishment would provide “every possible form of assistance, support and cooperation to the bereaved and affected individuals, as they navigate through this period of immense anguish and adversity.” “The management further affirms that it shall extend every possible form of assistance, support and cooperation to the bereaved and affected individuals, as they navigate through this period of immense anguish and adversity,” he wrote in the Insta story.

 

 

A GOA Police team on Monday reached the residence of Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, near Delhi University as part of its probe into the incident, an official said. However, the Luthra brothers, who are among the main accused in the case, were not at their residence in Hudson Lane when the police team went there, the official said. The team questioned members of the Luthra family to determine the current whereabouts of Gaurav and Saurabh, seeking details about their recent movements, possible hideouts and any contacts they may have reached out to, police sources said. According to the official, the Goa Police team arrived in Delhi to question the Luthra brothers in connection with alleged violations and lapses linked to the club. The team visited their house in Hudson Lane and made inquiries with the local police. The Delhi Police is conducting searches at multiple locations in the city to trace the accused and assist the Goa Police in its investigation, the official said.