Goa Nightclub fire: Interpol Blue Notice issued against two owners, illegal shack demolished
New Delhi/Panaji (PTI): The Interpol has issued a Blue Notice against Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of a Goa nightclub, who are believed to have fled to Thailand just hours after a Saturday blaze claimed 25 lives, while the Goa Police put out a Look Out Circular against another set of owners.
The LOC was issued against Ajay Gupta and Surinder Kumar Khosla, a British citizen, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Varsha Sharma told reporters.
Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the two primary owners of the nightclub, are believed to have fled to Phuket in Thailand following the Saturday night tragedy at ‘Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub in Arpora.
Two days after the horrific tragedy, state authorities on Tuesday demolished a beach shack illegally constructed by the Luthras in Vagator area, and appointed a fire safety audit panel for tourist establishments.
The Goa Chief Minister's office said that an Interpol Blue Corner Notice, meant to gather information about the accused, has been issued against the Luthras.
"A Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against another set of owners of the nightclub, Ajay Gupta and UK citizen Surinder Kumar Khosla, hours after the Luthras fled," said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Varsha Sharma.
ALSO READ: Nightclub fire: Goa govt orders demolition of Vagator beach shack of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra
"All attempts are being made to get the Luthra brothers back to India...they were not in Goa at the time of the incident," she added.
Then Director of Panchayat Siddhi Halarnkar and then Goa State Pollution Control Board Member Secretary Shamila Monteiro have been asked to join the investigation, the DIG said.
The Goa Tourism Department demolished `Romeo Lane', a beach shack illegally constructed at Vagator by the Luthras, on the directive of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and reclaimed the 198 sqmt of land.
The structure, made of wood, was razed using machines, a senior official said, adding the demolition was carried out within two hours in the presence of police.
Police have so far arrested five persons -- the nightclub’s chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, gate manager Riyanshu Thakur and employee Bharat Kohli.
Kohli, a resident of Delhi, was allegedly responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the nightclub and was arrested in the national capital.
With the investigation brought to the fore several violations at the nightclub, Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar, the original landowner, claimed he had fought a legal battle for 20 years against Khosla, alleging persistent illegalities on the property.
Talking to PTI, Amonkar said he had purchased two plots of land in Arpora village in 1994 and signed an agreement for sale with Surinder Kumar Khosla in 2004, but it was withdrawn within six months as the latter failed to pay the money.
Kholsa went on to set up a nightclub on the land, and it was later taken over by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, Amonkar claimed.
The Arpora-Nagoa panchayat issued a demolition notice to Khosla in 2024. But Khosla challenged it and got a stay from the Directorate of Panchayat, he said.
"I have been fighting a battle for the last 20 years against Khosla, who has been involved in all kinds of illegalities in this property (land) I own," he said.
In the aftermath of the fire tragedy, the state government constituted a high-level committee to frame SOPs for carrying out a comprehensive safety audit and for granting various licences to nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and tourist establishments.
Various violations of rules by the nightclub are now coming to light. Authorities have found that Kazakh national Kristina, who was performing a belly-dance when the blaze erupted, didn't have the business visa to perform in India.
Arpora Sarpanch Roshan Redkar had earlier said that they had attempted to demolish the structure in the past, but could not do so as the Directorate of Panchayat had issued a stay order.
The state authorities, on the other hand, have blamed the local panchayat for allowing the illegalities to continue.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Monday stated that the sarpanch had signed NOCs for electricity connection, water connection, house repairs and granted a trade licence, among other permissions to the establishment.
The nightclub continued to run even after its trade licence expired in March 2024.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Indian govt weighs impact of US Supreme Court tariff ruling: Comm Min
New Delhi (PTI): The Indian government is studying the developments on the US tariffs and their implications, the Commerce Ministry said on Saturday.
"We have noted the US Supreme Court judgement on tariffs yesterday (Friday). US President Donald Trump has also addressed a press conference in this regard.
"Some steps have been announced by the US administration. We are studying all these developments for their implications," the ministry said.
In a major setback to Trump's pivotal economic agenda for his second term, the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 verdict written by Chief Justice John Roberts, ruled that the tariffs imposed by the president on nations around the world were illegal and that he had exceeded his authority when he imposed the sweeping levies.
Later, Trump's proclamation, dated February 20, said: "I impose, for a period of 150 days, a temporary import surcharge of 10 per cent ad valorem on articles imported into the United States, effective February 24, 2026".
The US had imposed a reciprocal tariff of 25 per cent on India in August.
Later, an additional 25 per cent was imposed for buying Russian crude oil, taking the total tariffs on India to 50 per cent. Earlier this month, both countries agreed to finalise an interim trade deal, under which Washington will cut down the tariffs to 18 per cent.
So far, the punitive 25 per cent has been removed. The remaining 25 per cent exists.
After the proclamation, the tariffs on Indian goods will now be 10 per cent. The 10 per cent levy is over and above the existing MFN or import duties in the US.
In the wake of the US Supreme Court's decision on tariffs, Trump said there is no change in the trade deal with India and emphasised that the India deal is on.
To finalise the legal text for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement, the Indian team is scheduled to meet its counterparts in Washington from February 23, 2026.
During 2021-25, the US was India's largest trading partner in goods. The US accounts for about 18 per cent of India's total exports, 6.22 per cent in imports and 10.73 per cent in bilateral trade.
In 2024-25, the bilateral trade touched USD 186 billion (USD 86.5 billion exports and USD 45.3 billion imports).
