The owners of the upscale Goa venue 'Birch by Romeo Lane' in Arpora, where a devastating fire claimed 25 lives on December 6, spent Wednesday night in starkly contrasting conditions to their usual life of luxury. Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra were lodged in the Anjuna police lock-up, sleeping on the bare floor without mats or blankets, and had a simple meal of rice, dal, and pickle.
Police Custody and Intensive Interrogation
Goa police have initiated a rigorous interrogation of the Luthra brothers, who will remain in the lock-up until Monday. The investigating team posed over 80 questions to the duo, delving deep into various critical aspects of the case. The questioning covered the roles of their associates, the decision-making processes leading to the event, financial dealings, permissions obtained for the event, and the involvement of other partners, managers, and organizers.
A senior police officer confirmed that no special treatment was being given to the brothers. The only concession, as per a court directive, was deploying a person to ensure they received their medicine on time. They are being kept in a separate lock-up, away from other accused individuals arrested in connection with the tragic incident.
Court Rejects Plea for Special Amenities
On Thursday morning, Saurabh Luthra was taken for a routine medical examination at the North Goa District Hospital in Mapusa. After doctors declared him "fit for lock-up," he was returned to custody. This followed a plea by the brothers' lawyer, P V Pavithran, who requested the court to grant them a mattress in police custody. The plea cited Saurabh's alleged spinal disc problem and Gaurav's history of a tailbone fracture.
Assistant public prosecutor Tejas Pawar strongly opposed this demand. He questioned, "If they have medical issues, what made them book a ticket and fly to Thailand?" Judicial magistrate first class Puja Sardesai then directed the police to take both brothers for a government medical examination. After reviewing the subsequent medical report, which stated they were fit, the judge rejected their demand for special treatment and granted police further custody.
Expanding Net of Arrests and Ongoing Probe
The police investigation has widened significantly. Seven other individuals have been arrested in the case so far. They include Gurgaon resident Ajay Gupta (55), a partner of the Luthra brothers; New Delhi natives Rajiv Modak (49), the chief general manager, and Priyanshu Thakur (32), the gate manager; along with Uttar Pradesh natives Rajveer Singhania (32), the bar manager, Vivek Singh (27), the general manager; and Bharat Kohli from Delhi.
Except for Gupta, all other accused were remanded to judicial custody on Thursday. Police have questioned them extensively about licenses, agreements, event permissions, internal communications, and other potentially incriminating material. A senior officer indicated that the same set of detailed questions would be put to them again as the probe continues to uncover the chain of events and accountability for the fire that led to one of Goa's worst tragedies in recent years.
