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Goa Nightclub Fire Probe Tracks Owners to Phuket, Interpol Assistance Sought

Officials escalated criminal and regulatory action after 25 deaths, citing indoor electronic fireworks and serious fire-safety failures.

Overview

  • Goa Police said owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra flew from Mumbai to Phuket on IndiGo flight 6E 1073 hours after the blaze, prompting a Look-Out Circular and a request to Interpol via CBI.
  • Four managers — including chief general manager Rajeev Modak and general manager Vivek Singh — have been arrested on negligence and rule-violation charges, and co-accused Bharat Kohli was detained for questioning.
  • Authorities report 25 fatalities, largely from smoke asphyxiation, with postmortems substantially completed and remains handed over to families.
  • The state suspended officials who enabled the club’s operation, including then Panchayat Director Siddhi Tushar Harlankar, Pollution Control Board member secretary Dr. Shamila Monteiro, and Arpora-Nagoa village secretary Raghuvir Bagkar.
  • A special committee comprising the South Goa Collector, the deputy director of Fire & Emergency Services, and the forensic lab director was formed to deliver an interim report within a week, as the government ordered audits and updated fire certifications across similar venues, along with ex-gratia payments from the state and PMO.