North Goa Birch nightclub owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra face FIR after 25 killed in inferno

Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane Club in North Goa’s Arpora, are facing a FIR after 25 people were killed in the tragic inferno, said police officials.

“Police registered an FIR against Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of Birch by Romeo Lane Nightclub, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita,” PTI quoted a senior police official as saying.

Saurabh Luthra – who also featured on Forbes India, is the Chairman of Romeo Lane, a chain of restaurants spread across Delhi, Goa, Gurgaon, among others – as per his Instagram profile.

Who is Saurabh Luthra?

Romeo Lane's website describes its Chairman Saurabh Luthra as a “Gold medalist engineer turned into a promising and fastest-growing restaurateur” who is said to be known for his work in the Food and Beverages industry.

North Goa nightclub inferno

As many as 25 people, including tourists and restaurant staff were killed as a massive fire broke out at the club shortly after midnight on Sunday. Police said the fire was reported around 12:04 am on Sunday.

Track all North Goa nightclub fire LIVE updates here

Prime Minister's Office issued a statement announcing an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of each deceased in the Birch by Romeo Lane fire tragedy. The injured would be given ₹50,000, PM Modi said.

How did the fire break out?

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the accident site to take a stock of the situation and noted that the restaurant violated fire safety norms. Following a cylinder blast, the nightclub broke into flames in which many died due to suffocation while nearly three individuals were burnt.

As per the Goa CM, most victims were kitchen staff, including 3 women employees of Birch by Romeo Lane club.

Extending condolences, PM Modi said, “The fire mishap in Arpora, Goa is deeply saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Goa CM Dr. Pramod Sawant Ji about the situation. The State Government is providing all possible assistance to those affected.”

North Goa night club blaze - What we know so far

– FIR also registered against the manager of the club and the event organisers.

– Police detained the sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa Panchayat, Roshan Redkar, who had issued a trade license for the premises in 2013.

– The sarpanch said the club was run by Saurav Luthra, who had a dispute with his partner.