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The Government Has Constituted a Committee for a Magisterial Inquiry into the Sequence of Events Leading to the Fire
The Birch by Romeo Lane club in Goa witnessed a devastating fire tragedy on Saturday night (December 6, 2025), where 25 people died. Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the club, are believed to have left the country for Thailand following the incident. The CBI is now preparing to issue an Interpol notice amid growing scrutiny over safety violations and accountability.
Statement from the Goa Police
The Goa Police said in a statement: “Soon after the institution of an FIR, police moved swiftly and dispatched a team to Delhi to conduct raids on the addresses of the accused Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra. Since they were not available, a notice under the appropriate sections of law was pasted on their house. By the evening of December 7 (Sunday), a lookout circular (LOC) was issued against them by the Bureau of Immigration at the request of the Goa Police.”
“When the Bureau of Immigration at Mumbai was contacted, it was found that both the accused had taken a flight to Phuket at 5.30 am on December 7, that is hours after the incident,” an officer said, adding that the Goa Police has reached out to the Interpol Division of the CBI to apprehend the two.
Blue Corner Notice
According to sources, the CBI is likely to request the Interpol to issue a Blue Corner Notice against the brothers. It is issued to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.
Ongoing Investigation
The police have lodged an FIR and charges of culpable homicide against the Luthra brothers, the manager of the outlet, and the event organiser of the evening in connection with the fire at Birch. The FIR in the Birch fire case points at lapses such as the absence of fire safety equipment and emergency exit at the nightclub, and the lack of required licences.
Four people were arrested on Sunday (December 7, 2025). This includes the club’s chief general manager, Rajiv Modak (49), gate manager Priyanshu Thakur (32), bar manager Rajveer Singhania (32), and general manager Vivek Singh (27). Police arrested a fifth person named Bharat Singh on Monday. He used to run daily operations at the club from Delhi.
Was it an Illegal Construction?
The office of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the sarpanch of Arpora, where Birch is located, had signed NoCs for electricity connection, water connection, house repairs to the outlet, and gave it a trade licence, among other permissions.
“The premises continued to run after the expiry of the trade licence (in) March 2024. Under Section 72-A of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, the local body is empowered to seal such premises. However, they failed to do so.”
This came after panchayat officials said they had issued orders to demolish Birch, but that this had been stalled by higher authorities.
Previous Legal Notice
One of the clubs located in North Delhi received a show-cause notice from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi regarding seating arrangement limitations and poor hygiene in the kitchen in 2024.
Romeo Lane also received a legal notice from the Goa State Pollution Control Board for violating sound pollution norms in December 2024.
Steps by the Goa Government
The Goa State Disaster Management Authority has issued an advisory to all nightclubs, restaurants, bars, and event venues to ensure strict compliance with prescribed fire safety, electrical safety, emergency preparedness, and structural safety norms.
The advisory also directed all establishments to conduct an internal safety audit within seven days and keep the report ready for inspection by the district administration, fire services, or SDMA-authorised teams.
The government has formed a committee for a magisterial inquiry into the sequence of events leading to the fire. The committee has been tasked to submit the report within a week.
The CMO statement said that all the deceased in the fire tragedy had been identified, and the mortal remains of 20 individuals have been shifted to their native places.