The devastating fire at the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, which tragically claimed the lives of at least 25 people—primarily staff members, but also tourists—has triggered a massive police manhunt for the club’s owners, Gaurav and Sourav Luthra. The tragedy, which occurred late on Saturday, December 6, 2025,
quickly revealed alarming lapses in safety and regulatory compliance, prompting the police to book the owners and other management staff on serious charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
With the Luthra brothers remaining untraceable since the disaster, the Goa police are now highly likely to issue a Lookout Notice (or Look Out Circular – LOC) to prevent them from fleeing the country and to facilitate their immediate arrest.
Initial investigations and the subsequent First Information Report (FIR) exposed a horrifying scenario where the nightclub was allegedly operating with no emergency exits, inadequate fire safety equipment, and without the requisite permissions or licenses from competent authorities.
The blaze, reportedly triggered by electric firecrackers set off during a performance, spread rapidly through the combustible interiors, trapping victims—many of whom were in the basement and kitchen areas—who primarily died from suffocation.
Adding to the gravity of the situation, local officials confirmed that the club structure was built without a construction license in an ecologically sensitive zone and was subject to a demolition notice that had been controversially stayed upon appeal.
In the immediate aftermath, police arrested four to five managers and staff members, including the club’s general manager, while Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant ordered a high-level probe and suspended senior government officials for their role in allowing the illegally operating club to function.
The focus, however, remains squarely on the absconding owners, Gaurav and Sourav Luthra, who are the principal accused and whose failure to provide basic safety infrastructure is seen as the direct cause of the mass fatalities.
The issuance of an LOC is a critical legal step that alerts all immigration points to detain them, underscoring the determination of the authorities to hold those at the very top of the management accountable for what is being widely described as a preventable, man-made tragedy.
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