Goa inferno: Owners booked Thailand escape while rescuers fought flames

Dubai: The probe into the Goa nightclub inferno — the December 6 blaze that killed at least 25 people — has uncovered explosive new evidence: The owners booked an international escape while firefighters were still battling the flames.

Investigators say brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra logged onto the MakeMyTrip platform at 1:17am on December 7, minutes after emergency teams began rescue operations at the Arpora nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane. Immigration records confirm the duo boarded IndiGo flight 6E 1073 to Phuket just hours later, departing Delhi at 5:30am, according to Indian media reports.

A Delhi court on Wednesday heard the brothers’ transit anticipatory bail plea seeking four weeks’ protection from arrest and permission to return from Thailand without immediate custody.

Meanwhile, Goa Police produced co-owner Ajay Gupta before a Delhi magistrate. Gupta had earlier been untraceable, prompting a Look Out Circular (LOC). He was detained in Delhi and will now be taken to Goa for arrest and questioning. Another co-owner, Surinder Kumar Khosla, a British national, is also under an LOC.

Investigators have uncovered a fresh twist: The mobile number used by the Luthras was registered to Ram Hari Singh, a former driver. When NDTV tracked him down, Singh said he has had no contact with the family since 2020 and was unaware any SIM existed in his name.

Police are also probing discrepancies in the brothers’ vehicle ownership. Until 2020, they reportedly had three cars; before fleeing, they possessed more than four luxury vehicles — all now untraceable. Officials are examining whether the cars were removed in a planned cover-up.

Their sprawling, newly built Goa residence — constructed just two years ago at a cost of several crores — has been abandoned since the fire. Only a dog was found on the premises.

An Interpol Blue Corner Notice remains active for both brothers as police widen the investigation into the catastrophic fire and the owners’ alleged attempt to evade arrest.