News Arena Network - Panaji - UPDATED: December 11, 2025, 08:21 AM - 2 min read
The Luthra brothers booked their tickets at 1:17 am on Sunday.
As firefighting operations continued at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa after midnight on Sunday, the owners of the establishment, brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, were making arrangements to flee to Phuket in Thailand.
According to a statement issued by the Goa Police on Wednesday, the primary accused in the incident, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, had booked their flight tickets at 1:17 am on Sunday—merely one and a half hours after the fire erupted at the nightclub in North Goa, as previously reported by national media.
The initial emergency call regarding the fire at the Goa club was received at 11:45 pm. The devastating blaze occurred on the night intervening between Saturday and Sunday, when approximately 100 visitors were present at the nightclub located in North Goa. The intense fire ultimately resulted in the deaths of 25 individuals.
Although authorities have arrested five staff members along with Ajay Gupta, a business partner of the Luthra brothers, the two owners continue to remain absconding. The flight tickets to Thailand were purchased online through the MakeMyTrip (MMT) platform.
"The Goa police investigation has revealed that the Luthra brothers booked tickets to Thailand on MMT platform at 1:17 AM on 7th December. While Goa Police and Fire Services were battling the blaze and rescuing those trapped, the accused were preparing to flee the country,” stated Goa Police public relations officer (PRO) Nilesh Rane.
Police deny ‘assisted escape’ allegations
The police issued this statement even as they firmly denied allegations of an “assisted escape”, emphasising that the two accused had fled even before the full scale of the tragedy became apparent.
"The allegation of an “assisted escape” is completely false. Goa Police and all assisting agencies were at the site throughout the night until 6:00 AM carrying out rescue operations, dousing the fire, and recovering the victims. The accused left on a 5:30 AM flight, meaning they fled immediately after learning of the incident and before the scale of the tragedy was even known,” the police said.
The fire broke out at 12:04 am on Sunday, when the nightclub was packed with revellers. Police said that the fire and emergency services were on the spot till 6 am for rescue and recovery.
However, Delhi-based businessmen Saurabh and his brother Gaurav Luthra, who owned the club, took IndiGo 6E 1073 flight from New Delhi to Phuket, Thailand, at 5:30 am.
“The fire occurred in the early hours of 7th December, and Goa Police and Emergency Services were on site till 6 AM for rescue and recovery. Goa Police has already initiated international coordination through INTERPOL to trace and arrest the accused as per legal procedure,” the police has said.
The brothers had approached a Delhi court seeking transit anticipatory bail. However, the court on Wednesday declined an interim relief and fixed their anticipatory bail pleas for hearing the following day. In their defence, the brothers have said that they do not own the club in question and acted solely as licensees.
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