Quicksplained: How Ajay Gupta, co-owner of Goa nightclub, faked spine issue to evade arrest

As the Goa nightclub fire case unravels, police have detained Ajay Gupta, one of the four co-owners of ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’. This comes after the Luthra brothers, Saurabh and Gaurav, the other owners wanted in the case, fled to Thailand after the blaze killed 25.     

Gupta was held at a private hospital in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar. According to officials, his driver had driven him to the facility in an Innova car with an HR (Haryana) number plate.   

As quoted by news agency PTI, the Goa Police spokesperson confirmed, “We have detained Ajay Gupta, one of the owners of the nightclub. He is the sixth person to be held in connection with the case.”   

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Here’s what we know about Ajay Gupta.   

• Ajay Gupta is a Gurugram-based businessman and one of the four co-owners of GS Hospitality Arpora LLP, the company that runs the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub. He is a close partner of Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra. 

• In his statement, Gupta has so far denied any role in mismanagement in safety arrangements at the nightclub. “I am just a sleeping partner. I don’t know anything,” he said soon after being picked.   

• Gupta was detained in Delhi by the Goa Police after a look-out circular (LOC) was issued in his name. According to reports, when he was not found at his residence, an arrest warrant was obtained. 

• He was held at a private hospital in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar on Tuesday evening. Gupta has been taken into custody and will be produced in court before being taken to Goa.   

• He tried to escape the police by getting himself hospitalised. He reportedly tried to fake a spinal issue and got himself admitted to the Institute of Brain and Spine. 

• He told doctors at the hospital that he was suffering from a spinal issue. The plan was to hide at the institute for three to four days before he could find another way to escape.   

• The police tried to track Gupta soon after the fire. But he was in hiding. By Monday, the LOC was issued, and the police started searching the premises he was linked to.

• According to the police, Gupta was constantly on the move, and his phone was switched off as he tried to evade authorities.     

• Police sources told The Indian Express that Gupta is a businessman and is involved in real estate projects in Goa. 

• Meanwhile, efforts are on to track the other owners, who are still at large. The Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice against the Luthra brothers, who fled to Thailand. Another owner of the nightclub, Surinder Kumar Khosla, also has an LOC in his name. 

• The authorities confirmed that soon after the tragic incident Luthra brothers boarded the New Delhi–Phuket IndiGo flight. Probe agencies in India are now in touch with authorities in Thailand to locate the duo and bring them back. 

• The Luthra brothers have moved Delhi’s Rohini club seeking anticipatory bail.   

• Meanwhile, Romeo Lane, another establishment owned by the Luthras, was also demolished by authorities in Goa after the deadly fire. Another club part of the Romeo Lane chain in Assagao is also sealed, news agency PTI reported. 

• The investigators have taken five staff members into custody so far. They include Birch by Romeo Lane’s chief general manager, Rajiv Modak; general manager, Vivek Singh; bar manager, Rajiv Singhania; gate manager, Riyanshu Thakur; and an employee, Bharat Kholi.   

• An FIR filed by the Goa Police said that the fire at the nightclub could have been prevented had the owners and organisers complied with basic safety rules. The establishment held a fire show on Saturday without fire-safety equipment like extinguishers, alarms and suppression gear.

With inputs from agencies