- Blue Corner Notice likely against Goa club owners Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra
- Luthra brothers fled to Thailand hours after fire killed 25 at nightclub
- Police conducting raids; four staff arrested, officials summoned for questioning
A Blue Corner Notice is likely to be issued against the Goa club owners, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra - who fled to Thailand hours after a massive fire broke out at their 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub, killing 25 people, sources said.
The notice, an international request, is a part of Interpol's colour-coded notices that enable countries to share alerts and requests for information worldwide. A Blue notice is served to collect additional information about a person's identity, location, or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.
The police are on the lookout for their third partner, identified as Ajay Gupta.
A musical night at the Goa nightclub turned deadly on Sunday night, with videos showing huge flames and smoke at the scene. Another video shows a dancer grooving to the beats of the Sholay chartbuster 'Mehbooba Mehbooba' when the first flames appear on the ceiling. While the cause of the blaze is yet to be confirmed, fireworks during a musical performance are said to have started the fire.
Police have filed a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, negligence, and acts endangering safety against the owners and the manager of the club.
The Luthra brothers flew out to Thailand's Phuket on an IndiGo flight at 5:30 am on Sunday - just a couple of hours after the tragedy, the Bureau of Immigration at Mumbai airport found. They were in Delhi when the incident took place.
A lookout circular was also issued against the two club owners.
The Delhi and Goa police are jointly conducting raids at safe houses and networks linked to the Luthra brothers.
Four staff members of the nightclub have been arrested so far, including the manager. Officials from multiple government departments involved in issuing permits and licences to the club have also been summoned for questioning to examine potential compliance lapses and procedural violations.
Saurabh Luthra's first statement
Saurabh Luthra, in his first public response since the tragedy, said the management was "deeply shaken" by the scale of the loss.
"The management expresses profound grief and is deeply shaken by the tragic loss of lives resulting from the unfortunate incident at Birch," he said on the social media platform Instagram.
Calling it a moment of "irreparable sorrow and overwhelming distress," he said the nightclub stands "in unwavering solidarity with the families of the deceased as well as those injured" and conveyed condolences "with utmost sincerity."
Luthra added that the management would offer full cooperation to all affected. "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.
