A beach shack owned by the Luthra brothers – the owners of 'Birch by Romeo Lane', the nightclub in Goa's Arpora, at which a fire killed 25 people last week – will be demolished by bulldozers, news agency PTI said Tuesday afternoon quoting Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Bulldozers will raze 'Romeo Lane' in Goa's Vagator after 3 pm, sources in the Chief Minister's office told NDTV after the restaurant – allegedly built on government-owned land - was sealed.
The brothers – Gaurav and Saurabh – boarded a flight to Thailand three hours after the fire. They have since been charge with culpable homicide, not amounting to murder, and conspiracy.
However, neither, so far as NDTV understands, has made any contact with the police.
NDTV, though, has accessed a photograph of Gaurav Luthra from a Thai airport.
Gaurav Luthra.
Their escape was discovered as the cops began their investigation.
Police showed up at their home in Delhi but found they'd already left the country; the two boarded an IndiGo flight to Phuket, an action the cops have seen as a deliberate attempt to evade the law.
READ | Goa Nightclub Owners On Interpol List. These Are The Other Indians On It
The Chief Minister's office, meanwhile, has confirmed global policing organisation Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice – i.e., asking police forces from member nations for more information about a suspect's location and activities in relation to a criminal investigation.
The brothers' rise
Saurabh and Gaurav started their hotelier journey in 2016 with 'Mama's Buoi', a nightclub in Delhi's Civil Lines that was close to Delhi University's North Campus and was a hangout for college students.
READ | Restaurateurs To Fugitives: How Goa Fire Singed Luthra Brothers
'Mama's Buoi' was a roaring success and the Luthra brothers followed up with 'Dramebaaz', a fast food joint and then came 'Romeo Lane', a chain of nightclubs that made them the talk of the town.
Months later, the brothers would open 'Birch By Romeo Lane' in Goa.
The burnt remains of the Luthra's 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub in Goa.
On Instagram the nightclub was described as a first 'island club'.
A disaster-In-waiting
Photos from before the fire showed bamboo used prominently in the decor, including the ceiling, which accelerated the spread of the fire. Worse, there was only a narrow pathway leading to the club built in the middle of a small lake; this pathway was the entrance and exit, meaning fire engines could not approach the blaze when it broke out. Firefighters said they had to park the fire engines about 400 metres from the club. This complicated the rescue mission, presumably contributing to casualties.
READ | Goa Club Where 25 Died Built Like Tinderbox. Crackers Lit The Fuse
The investigation also found the club did not have a fire safety clearance and, shockingly, no functional fire extinguishers or safety alarms were found at a venue that housed over 100 people on big nights.
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.
