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Fire call at 11:45 pm, Phuket ticket at 1:17 am: Luthra brothers planned escape as Goa nightclub burnt
While the Goa police have arrested five staff members and Ajay Gupta, a business partner of the Luthras, the Luthra brothers remained absconding.
While firefighting operations were underway at the Goa nightclub post midnight on Sunday, the Luthra brothers, who owned the Birch by Romeo Lane, were planning their escape to Phuket in Thailand.
The Goa Police, in a statement on Wednesday, said Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the main accused in the case, booked their tickets at 1:17 am on Sunday, barely one and a half hours after the fire broke out at the North Goa nightclub, HT earlier reported.
The first distress call from the Goa club was made at 11:45 pm. The blaze took place on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday when around 100 visitors had gathered at the nightclub in North Goa. The massive fire killed 25 people.
While the police have arrested five staff members and Ajay Gupta, a business partner of the Luthras, the two owners remained absconding. The tickets to Thailand were booked online via 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,” Goa Police public relations officer (PRO) Nilesh Rane said.
Police deny ‘assisted escape’ allegations
The statement even as the police denied allegations of an “assisted escape”, adding that the two accused fled even before the scale of tragedy was known.
Also Read: What is a blue notice? CBI's big move to hunt Luthra brothers in Thailand
"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 5:325 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.
(With inputs from Gerard de Souza)
