The owners of the Goa nightclub, where 25 people were killed in a fire on late Sunday night, have fled to Phuket, the Goa Police said on Monday. Earlier in the day, police teams from Goa and Delhi searched the north Delhi home of nightclub owners Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the two main accused in the tragedy.
After registering an FIR against them, a Look Out Circular was issued against them by December 7 by the Bureau of Intelligence (BOI) at the request of the Goa Police. The Bureau of Immigration at Mumbai was contacted, and it was found that both the accused had taken the 6E 1073 flight to Phuket at 5.30 am on December 7, immediately after the fire incident, which occurred around midnight, an officer of the Goa police said. He added the Goa Police had immediately dispatched a team to Delhi to conduct raids on the addresses of the accused Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra.
Investigators say the Luthras are wanted for questioning over suspected safety lapses, missing fire clearances, and procedural violations linked to the club’s operation. According to officials, the nightclub did not have a fire department NOC, and documents required for licence approvals were either incomplete or missing. Police believe these contributed to the tragedy. Early findings indicate that fire exits were inadequate and that the staff and customers had little time to escape once the flames broke out.
So far, Goa Police has arrested four senior managers of the club, chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur. All four are being questioned about operational violations on the night of the incident. Police have also detained Bharat Kohli, a resident of Sabzi Mandi in Delhi, who handled the club’s day-to-day operations. His name surfaced during interrogation of one of the managers, and he will be taken to Goa for further questioning.
Police said more arrests are likely as they scrutinise the role of each member of the management team. Investigators are also checking CCTV footage, staff statements, and communication records to reconstruct events leading up to the fire.
Both Goa Police and Delhi Police have said that tracing the owners is now a top priority. The investigation remains active, and officers said they expect further breakthroughs in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Saurabh Luthra posted a message on Instagram on Monday, saying the management was “deeply shaken” by the loss of lives. He wrote that the club would extend “every possible assistance and cooperation” to affected families. Police officials said the social media post does not change the status of the investigation and that efforts to find the owners will continue until they are located and questioned.
The tragedy has triggered strong public anger in Goa, with calls for accountability from both the club’s owners and officials who allowed the establishment to operate despite repeated lapses. State authorities have launched parallel reviews into the licensing process and safety inspections carried out at the venue.
