Goa nightclub fire: Co-owner Ajay Gupta moves court for bail

Ajay Gupta, co-owner of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa where 25 people died in a fire earlier this month, has applied for bail before a court in Mapusa. The court is expected to hear the plea later today

Panaji: Ajay Gupta, one of the four co-owners of ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub in Goa, where 25 persons were killed in a fire earlier this month, on Thursday filed a bail application in a court in Mapusa town.

Gupta was arrested in New Delhi by the Goa Police on December 10, following which a court in Mapusa remanded him in police custody for seven days. Twenty-five persons, including 20 staff members and five tourists, were killed in the major blaze at the nightclub at Arpora in North Goa around midnight on December 6.

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Gupta, who is currently in the custody of the Anjuna police, applied for bail before the District Judge in Mapusa. Senior lawyer Rohan Desai will represent him. The court is likely to hear the bail application later in the day, and notices will be issued to the State police seeking their response. So far, eight persons have been arrested in connection with the case, including Gupta, and two other owners – Gaurav Luthra and his brother Saurabh – who were deported from Thailand.

Five other staffers of the nightclub arrested in the case are Rajiv Modak (Corporate General Manager), Priyanshu Thakur (Gate Manager), Rajveer Singhania (Bar Manager), Vivek Singh (General Manager), and Bharat Karan Singh Kohli (employee).

A Look Out Circular (LOC) has been issued against Surinder Kumar Khosla, another owner of the nightclub, who is a British citizen, police said.