Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Dec 8: The owners of Birch by Romeo Lane — the Arpora nightclub where a devastating fire claimed 25 lives — left India for Thailand just hours before Goa Police moved to arrest them, forcing authorities to initiate an international process to bring them back.

Police confirmed that brothers Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, both booked for culpable homicide, boarded a 5:30 a.m. flight to Phuket on December 7, shortly after the midnight blaze that killed staff members and tourists. Once an FIR was registered, a police team raided their Delhi residences, only to find they had already fled the country.

With the duo missing, officers pasted a legal notice at their home. Investigators said the timing of their departure clearly indicates an attempt to evade the probe. Goa Police are now coordinating with the Interpol Division of the CBI to seek their detention abroad.

A Look Out Circular (LOC) has been issued for both brothers. Meanwhile, Bharat Kohli, who oversaw the nightclub’s daily operations, has been arrested in Delhi. Authorities have now apprehended five individuals in connection with the incident as the investigation widens.