Goa Police on Monday said the main accused in the Goa nightclub fire at Arpora — brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane — left India for Phuket, Thailand, within hours of the blaze that killed 25 people late on Saturday night. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered, a look-out circular was issued on December 7, and the Interpol Division of the CBI has been approached to help trace and detain the duo, whose disappearance, officers say, “shows intent to avoid the police investigation.”
The 2025 Arpora nightclub fire broke out close to midnight at Birch by Romeo Lane in North Goa’s Arpora, rapidly engulfing the restaurant-cum-club and trapping staff and patrons inside. At least 25 people, most of them employees working in the lower floors and basement, died largely due to suffocation, while several others were hospitalised at Goa Medical College in Bambolim.
Soon after registering an FIR, Goa Police contacted the Bureau of Immigration and discovered that both owners had taken a 5.30 a.m. IndiGo flight to Phuket on December 7, just hours after the blaze. A look-out circular was issued the same day, and police have now coordinated with the Interpol Division of the CBI to seek a Blue Corner notice and track the brothers abroad.
With the main owners abroad, investigators turned to others linked to the daily running of Birch by Romeo Lane. A joint team of Goa Police and Delhi Police arrested 49-year-old Bharat Kohli from Delhi’s Sabzi Mandi area. According to investigators, Kohli managed the club’s day-to-day operations on behalf of the Luthra brothers, making him a key operational accused in the chain of responsibility for the Goa nightclub fire.
On the regulatory side, the Goa government has suspended three officers who were prima facie found involved in issuing or renewing permits for the nightclub. Multiple government officials responsible for licences, building permissions, and fire safety clearances have been summoned to verify alleged compliance gaps, missing NOCs, and procedural violations. A police release said the investigation is being treated as a priority and further action will follow once inquiries into the Goa nightclub fire and related licensing processes are complete.
Meanwhile, a fact-finding committee headed by a retired judge has inspected the charred nightclub premises. The State government has also constituted two additional panels: one headed by the District Magistrate of Bardez — with the SP, Fire & Emergency Services, and Forensic Science officials — to probe the incident, and another led by the Revenue Secretary to conduct a State-wide safety audit of all nightclubs and similar venues, examining Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), emergency exits and structural safety.
Why It Matters
The Goa nightclub fire is not just an isolated tragedy in a tourist belt; it is a governance and urban-safety case study. Birch by Romeo Lane was a high-profile nightlife destination in a State that depends heavily on tourism, yet preliminary accounts point towards fire safety violations, narrow access roads, and questionable approvals.
For citizens and UPSC aspirants, the case throws up important questions around:
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Regulatory capture and local governance – how an establishment reportedly facing demolition notices and litigation could continue to operate as a packed nightclub.
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Disaster management and urban planning – the role of fire audits, exit design, and enforcement in preventing mass-casualty incidents in crowded spaces.
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Criminal liability in man-made disasters – owners fleeing abroad after the Goa nightclub fire and the use of look-out circulars and Interpol notices to bring them back to face trial.
Search patterns already show people looking up phrases like “Goa nightclub fire today”, “Birch by Romeo Lane Goa fire”, “Goa club owners fled to Thailand”, “Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra Interpol” and “nightclub fire safety rules in India” — reflecting both public anger and the demand for clear accountability.
Background / Context
Birch by Romeo Lane opened in 2024 and quickly became part of a growing nightlife chain run by the Luthra brothers across several Indian cities. Local authorities had reportedly issued demolition notices and raised objections about the structure being illegal and located on salt-pan land, but these actions were stayed on appeal.
On the night of 6 December 2025, the club was hosting a busy event when the fire began, with accounts pointing to a possible short circuit, pyrotechnics or a blast in the kitchen area. The building’s design — flammable materials, narrow entrance/exit lanes, and a basement where many staff were working — turned it into a death trap once smoke and flames spread, with many victims dying of suffocation before they could escape.
The incident fits a broader pattern of fire disasters in India, where lapses in enforcement of building codes, overcrowding, and poor inspection regimes repeatedly lead to high casualty incidents, followed by post-facto inquiries and ad-hoc crackdowns.
Implications
1. Criminal proceedings and extradition angle
With the owners abroad, the Goa nightclub fire case will test India’s use of immigration controls, look-out circulars and Interpol notices in economic-cum-criminal offences involving mass casualties. If Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra are detained overseas, the process of bringing them back will involve coordination between Goa Police, the CBI’s Interpol wing and foreign authorities, adding a layer of international criminal law to what began as a domestic fire-safety case.
2. Fire safety norms and licensing in tourist States
The State-wide audit announced by the Goa government could lead to:
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stricter enforcement of occupancy limits and exit norms,
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closure or demolition of non-compliant venues, and
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revision of SOPs for granting or renewing licences to bars, restaurants, rooftop lounges and nightclubs.
For the larger policy debate, the Goa nightclub fire may become a reference point in discussions on Model Building Bye-Laws, National Building Code provisions on fire safety, and coordination between panchayats, municipalities, fire departments and tourism authorities.
3. Accountability of public officials
The suspension of three officers and summoning of multiple officials show that the investigation is not confined to private owners alone. If inquiry committees establish that permits were renewed despite clear violations, it could strengthen the case for personal liability of officials in man-made disasters, not just departmental action.
Conclusion
The Goa nightclub fire at Birch by Romeo Lane is a stark reminder that booming nightlife and tourism, without matching fire safety and regulatory vigilance, can turn a leisure space into a mass-casualty site within minutes. As the owners face international tracing and the State orders audits across nightclubs, the real test will be whether this tragedy triggers sustained reforms — in building approvals, fire inspections and official accountability — rather than fading after headlines move on. For an aspirational urban India, safer public spaces are not a luxury; they are a non-negotiable part of governance.
