NEW DELHI/PANAJI: Interpol has issued a blue corner notice against Saurabh and Gaurav , co-owners of ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub in Goa, following last week’s blaze that claimed 25 lives. The owners are believed to be hiding in Phuket, Thailand. On Tuesday, Goa Police detained Ajay Gupta, a partner of the Luthra brothers, in Delhi.
The regional passport office, New Delhi, has also issued a notice to the Luthra brothers seeking an explanation as to why action should not be initiated to impound their passports within seven days. A blue corner notice is typically issued to gather additional information about a person’s identity, whereabouts or activities in connection with a criminal investigation. Goa Police said the notice would help trace the accused and also prevent them from migrating to any other country from their present destination. A senior Goa police officer said while a blue corner notice typically takes about a week to process, in this case, it was issued within two days of the incident with the support of central agencies. India and Thailand signed a formal extradition treaty in 2013, which came into force on June 29, 2015. Goa CM Pramod Sawant told TOI a team will be sent to Thailand to bring back the accused. On Sunday, a Goa Police team had reached Delhi with an arrest warrant for the Luthra brothers and searched their residential and office premises, but they were not found. “Since they were unavailable, a notice under the appropriate sections of law was pasted at their residence. By the evening of Dec 7, a lookout circular was issued against both by Bureau of Immigration (BoI) at the request of Goa Police,” a Goa Police officer said.BoI later informed investigators the brothers boarded IndiGo flight 6E 1073 to Phuket at 5.30am Sunday, just hours after the blaze.Deputy inspector general of police, Goa Police, Varsha Sharma, said a lookout notice has also been issued against the owner of the property, UK national Surinder Kumar Khosla. Goa Police, Sharma said, are coordinating with CBI and Interpol to bring back the Luthras. Cops are also probing their financial aspect, along with central agencies.
