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Goa club fire chargesheet reveals blocked exit, owners' Phuket flight

Goa club fire chargesheet reveals blocked exit, owners' Phuket flight
Exclusive | Goa club fire: Owners ‘knew of blocked emergency exit, booked ticket to Phuket using Kamla Nagar travel agent’ · indianexpress.com

On December 6, 2025, a fire started at a nightclub called Birch by Romeo Lane in Goa, India.

It was a very sad day because 25 people died, including five tourists visiting from other places.

Police looked into what happened and wrote a very long report, called a chargesheet.

The report says the club did not have fire safety equipment.

It also says there was no emergency plan for people to escape, and one of the exit gates was locked.

The club was decorated with dry grass, bamboo and wood, which burn very quickly.

The police say the owners knew about these problems but still let fireworks happen inside the crowded club.

They also say the owners used fake documents to get licences to run the club.

Two of the owners booked tickets and flew to Phuket soon after the fire started, and one owner went to a hospital in Delhi.

Another owner, who lives in the UK, also left the country, and the police are still looking for him.

Key facts

Date of fire
December 6, 2025 (around 11:45 pm)
Casualties
25 killed, including five tourists
Venue
Birch by Romeo Lane, Arpora, North Goa
Chargesheet
4,420-page document filed by Goa police against 13 accused
Charges
Culpable homicide not amounting to murder, forgery, and other offences
Accused owners
Ajay Gupta (55), Gaurav Luthra (44), Saurabh Luthra (40)
Property owner
Surinder Kumar Khosla, a UK national, is absconding
Key allegation
Owners booked a flight to Phuket at 1:13 am and departed at 5:25 am after the fire

Sources

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